Quo Vadis?
by Sorre
Summary: I woke up in Worm... Upside: I have Heroic Spirits. Downside: Fucking everything else... A sorta-serious fic. !Reincarnation/Transmigration, !OC-Insert
1. Reborn 1-1

**Preface**

 **NEW FIC! This week was supposed to be Gaming Guardian's turn on the block and I make good on my promises so don't worry, that's coming too. The big news is that I'll be releasing a chapter of this new fic for the next three days as well. If you've migrated here from my other fics, please don't forget to tell me what you think of it.**

 **I said I'd have a League + Worm or Naruto crossover sometime to make up for the dumpster fire that was Finding My Image, so here it is. I decided on Worm because I'm going to be working on a Haku reincarnation fic for the Naruto-verse sometime later. Anyway, hope you like the premise.**

 **I could have placed this under Fate/Stay Night for more views, but I'm just borrowing the notion of Heroic Spirits to League Champions so the current label is more honest. The premise is that someone dies, meets the Root, and is reborn in Worm-verse with a mindscape connected to the Throne, or more accurately, nine Champions in the Throne. I'm going to be adapting skills like Divinity, Magic Resistance, etc. as best as I can into the Worm-verse. For example, I'm going to assume an A rank Magic Resistance will make you immune to Thinker, Master, and most Blaster powers.**

 **Updates on this fic will be sporadic compared to my other stories. My main priorities are Gaming Guardian, On My Wings, and Resounding Healer, but this idea just had to get itself on paper… screen as it were.**

 **Reborn 1.1**

I'm dead… and an edgelord…

I'm joking… about the second part, not the first. I did actually die. I know, "If you died, how are you talking?" and all that. Fuck if I know. Seriously? Long story short, I met the Root. Call it whatever you want: Akasha, Arceus, Truth, God, The Big Bang, Breath, The One Above All, Great Red… whatever, it doesn't actually matter. Sometimes the Root is a being, other times it's a place. Still others, a scientific principle. Truth is, it doesn't matter to my story, just know that _something_ exists at the origin of the omiverse.

I died and met the Root. Yeah, it sounds crazy; I found what every alchemist, magus, and scientist has been searching for by doing nothing beyond what we all eventually do in the end: go belly up like fucking goldfish. That's how I died, you know. I went swimming in the bayou, my foot got caught on some asshat's fishing line, and while I was thrashing, my face got caught on his boat's propeller. It's not the most pathetic way to die out there, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be anyone's ideal way to kick the bucket either.

I wish I could tell you that I had a bright future, that doors were opening up for me, but that's not really true. I worked at my uncle's fish shack for seven years straight out of high school. Eventually, I worked up to being head chef and it's nice to be able to cook and all, important life skill, but I didn't exactly leave the world a better place than when I found it or anything. Don't get me wrong, I was happy, but I wasn't hero material, unless you think good, old-fashioned Louisiana cajun cooking can save the world. But now? I might have a chance.

See, I didn't just wake up in my old world in the body of a baby. No, I woke up in a fictional world in the body of a baby. And holy shit, I wish the Root gave me an option because I would have chosen virtually _any other world_ than Earth Bet. Yeah, I ended up in the Worm-verse, the reality full of edgy, traumatized children with superpowers. Yay… Fuck. Wildbow.

X Year Four X

Yup, I'm skipping years one, two, and three because as it turns out, being an infant is boring. Being a toddler isn't too much better, but at least I don't have to tell you about being squeezed through someone's vagina. Here's one for the record: A trigger event occurs when someone is desperate, helpless, alone, and at the end of their rope. I just died, found out I was just one insignificant soul in an infinite number of multiverses, left alone for nine months in total isolation, then squeezed out like toothpaste. And that, my friends, is the recipe for the weirdest fucking trigger you'll ever hear about.

Ever since I was born, I could feel a niggling sensation at the back of my mind, as though there is something trying to grow, to take root. At first, I didn't know it was my power trying to cement my connection to the Root. How could I? I had no idea where or _when_ I was. It was only at the age of four when both questions were answered for me: Brockton Bay, 1998.

After a desperate bout of hyperventilation and terrified screaming, I tried to get my mind in order. I was born in 1994, a year older than Taylor. My name is Robin Cardinal, son of Jason and Emily Cardinal, because my dad likes birdwatching apparently. I mean, it's not the worst name out there, so I'll deal. I think Velocity's name is also Robin too, so that's going to be all kinds of awkward later on.

That night, I finally made the connection. Brockton Bay = Earth Bet = Worm = Wildbow. Wildbow = crazy superpowers. Crazy superpowers + reincarnation + saw the Root = I triggered already. So, with nothing to guide me, I decided to let myself go, to let the nagging, itching feeling in my mind finally take hold. As I sank into sleep, I felt my mind open like never before.

X

You know that vision of two giant space whales I'm supposed to have? Yeah, you'll notice how I didn't mention it. Nope, I didn't see them, neither when I slept nor when I first triggered, which tells me that the Root did _something_ , but fuck if I know what. No, when I finally allowed my power to branch out and set itself in my mind, I dreamed.

I dreamed of a temple with elegant white walls of polished marble and high, arching ceilings. I dreamed of a massive, round table with ten thrones. Nine were marked: a set of scales, shield, sword, bow, spear, horse, staff, skull, and the profile of a dragon's head. Those images, crests, looked worryingly familiar and a shiver of excitement and dread washed down my spine. Before all but one throne, I saw nine censers of silver, empty of scented fire. Behind each of these nine thrones, I could see nine doors, each imprinted with the corresponding crests.

The last throne was unmarked and somehow, I knew, it was mine. Instead of a censer, I saw an ancient, leather-bound journal. 'Finally,' I thought, 'four years late, but at least I'm getting an explanation now.' Most capes knew how to use their powers instinctively. I… did not, but it looked as though the Root would lend me a helping hand. I picked it up and read the first page. No, the Root didn't leave me a letter. Zelretch however…

 _Dear brat,_

 _Thank you for dying in an amusing way. I mean, if I were to die in a bayou, I'd make sure to at least go out trying to wrestle a gator or something, but if you want to kick the bucket trying to make out with a boat, who am I to tell you otherwise?_

 _You'll notice that you've been reborn. Be grateful. If I hadn't interfered, you'd have been absorbed back into the Root like every other soul. Now, you get to keep amusing me! And making me great cajun food. Isn't that fantastic?_

I rolled my eyes. Somehow, this sounded like the kind of shit he'd pull. It'd be just my luck too, the one skill I'm proud of has nothing to do with magecraft but still manages to get his attention because the old vampire likes cajun… Seriously, what the hell?

I ranted and raved for a minute, but decided that no matter how condescending he sounded, he did do me a solid. I just wish my new life wasn't in Brockton Bay. With that, I kept reading.

 _I know, you're probably thinking, "Why Brockton?" Sorry, but there isn't really a reason for it. You don't have some glorious mission or purpose, at least not one I'm giving you. Just live and amuse me is all. I just adjusted your soul, left this note, and tossed it into the Kaleidoscope. Brockton just happened to be where you landed._

 _As for what I did to your soul… Normally, the Third isn't really my gig, but I did help make the Grail so I'm sure you have an idea. The details are too complicated for you to understand, so I'll just give you the really really abbreviated version._

 _One: I implanted magic circuits into your new body. I also used the Corona Pollentia that this world has to connect this body to your soul instead of that space whale. Be glad your nerves hadn't developed yet because that's not fun for anyone. Too much screaming in agony for my taste._

 _Two: I took your soul and connected it to the Throne of Heroes. You'll be able to call on the seven classes, Shielder, and Ruler. It actually went better than I expected it to, probably because your Origin is Communion. Your Element is plain old ether by the way. No, not True Ether, just ether. Dull, but at least you've got an interesting Origin. You might be able to work out a few illusions or something, but I wouldn't get my hopes up._

 _Three: I got sick of watching people use the same Heroic Spirits, so I decided to connect your soul elsewhere. Don't worry, it's still the Throne of Heroes, just… not the Throne you're familiar with. You have access to nine Heroic Spirits from the last franchise you played in your old life. I think they're called Champions instead, heh._

I paled. The last franchise I played? League of Legends. I was an assassin main. I hoped to the Root that I wouldn't get that psychopath Evelynn or something. She may be my main, but holy shit I had no desire to have a sadistic bitch who literally wore someone's skin inside my mind.

 _Four: Every one of these Champions did agree to be connected to you, so they know you're coming. Who knows, maybe they'll even teach you a bit of their magecraft._

 _Now go forth and amuse._

 _Because I'm bored,_

 _Zelretch_

 _PS: I'll come visit sometime. Make sure your cooking skills haven't dulled._

I stared at the journal in a deadpan. Of course I would somehow get his attention. No matter what he said about my cooking, and as flattering as that was, I had a feeling I was a part of some experiment of his, probably to see if it's possible to have a connection to the Throne without a Kaleidostick or the Class Cards. He likely picked up my soul for the Origin more than anything. After a good ten minutes of processing, I threw my hands up in the air in the universal sign for, "fuck it," and allowed myself to exit my mindscape. Nope,not dealing with this right now.

X

The next morning, I walked down the stairs to greet my parents. Jason Cardinal was about as dull as a man could get. I don't mean to imply that he's stupid, because he's not. He worked for Medhall as the assistant director of their accounting staff, the legal part of Medhall. He was, unfortunately, every stereotype of an accountant crammed into one: geeky, short, skinny, glasses, and more interested in numbers than in my mother. I really hoped I'd grow up to be taller than him, and his credit, he worked hard to provide for us, but he wasn't exactly the model father figure, too busy with work. My mother, Emily, used to be a legal assistant for some law firm or another, but eventually retired to raise me. Now that I had some form of agency, she was looking to refresh her paralegal license while leaving me at daycare. She was even shorter than my dad, fairly pretty, and fancied herself a poet. She… she was no Robert Frost and let's leave it at that.

"Hey dad, mom," I mumbled behind a yawn. That was something else my parents got used to very quickly. I tried so very hard at first to seem like an ordinary toddler, but in the end, it was too hard. I had no idea what a toddler behaved like, nor did I have the patience to sit around and shit myself for years, so that just wasn't going to happen. Instead, my parents got to brag to all of our neighbors about their "genius" son. I couldn't potty train myself fast enough, let me tell you.

My mom moved over to hug me. "Oh, hello, sweetie," she crooned. I tried to squirm away, but alas, a four year old body just wasn't conducive to daring escapades.

With only minimal struggle, I climbed onto the dining room chair, where two hard boiled eggs, a waffle, and fruit awaited me. Personally, I'd kill for bacon, but my mom was a bit of a hippie so meh.

'What's wrong with eggs?' a youthful voice rang in my mind.

I froze. It took my brain a few seconds to catch up. Thankfully, my dad was reading the paper and my mom was tending the stove, so they didn't really notice. 'Hello, Champion,' I thought back, for it could be nothing else.

'Rude, I am a she, not a thing,' came the voice again. Sure enough, it sounded feminine, and a bit teasing.

'Umm, sorry, hearing someone else in my mind is a bit disorienting. May I ask your name?'

'Nope, it's a game!'

I sighed, so that's how she was going to be. In a way, that alone narrowed down some of the possibilities. 'Very well, may I ask your class?'

She hummed and I got the distinct impression that she had a finger to her chin. 'Hmmmmm, sure, I'm Caster. Want to play a game?'

I… didn't know how to feel about that. On one hand, there were only so many female, whimsical Champions who could qualify as a Caster so I could probably take a guess. On the other hand, Caster was the most unpredictable of classes, the most diverse in their skill-sets. You didn't want a prankster Caster, not unless you wanted the entire world to wake up as the opposite gender or something.

So, with the trepidation felt by an explorer diving into an unknown cave for the first time, I decided to play along. 'Sure, Caster, let's play. I get to ask you three questions and if I can guess your name after, you have to be my friend and lend me your power,' I ventured.

'Okay! I could always use new friends! If you can't guess, you're going to have to give me your body to play with! Now, question one.'

The egg I was eating fell out of my mouth and I scrambled to catch it. Get it? Scrambled. Heh. I could tell that Caster knew what I was trying because I got the distinct sense of amusement, not dissimilar to the amusement Zelretch expressed towards pretty much everyone. 'How about you get my body to play with only some of the time if I lose?'

'Fine, ask away.' I got the distinct impression that she was pouting.

My mom sat down at the table and began to eat. She said something about leaving me in daycare, so I nodded along. "Will there be more stories?" I asked. The best way to acquire knowledge without rousing suspicion from my parents was to immediately pass myself off as a smart kid with an overly active imagination, so that's what I did. As far as Jason and Emily were concerned, I loved to read and be read to. I did my best to maintain conversation with my parents while thinking of a question.

'First question then: Have you ever been to another world?' I posed. If she said yes, I'd know she's Zoe. That… I'd be so overpowered. Visions of me dropping literal _stars_ on top of Leviathan made me drool. Zion would get wrecked so hard...

'Yup!' she chirped, 'This one!' Then those visions popped an ignoble death. Alas, megalomania, it was nice to make your acquaintance.

I… Holy shit, my toddler brain must be affecting me more than I thought. I felt so stupid. My mom must have seen something on my face because she wiped some syrup from my chin. Ignoring the indignity, I pressed on. That was a waste of a question, of course she'd been to another world. She was here now.

'Shit, that was a waste,' I thought. 'Second question: Did you, in life, have a magical familiar or companion that accompanied you constantly?'

Zoe was a loner. An immortal who wandered dimensions to herald times of great change. Sure, she would fit, Brockton would be changing quite a bit in the near future, but I wasn't sure she'd be here with me if she were on her mission.

'Yup, I have a friend. He's really cute. Last question!' She seemed really excited. Maybe the thought of experiencing the world through another body made her happy.

A companion… that made her either Annie or Lulu, eliminating Nami. The rest would be easy, I hoped. 'Do you have a thinking cap and enjoy the taste of purple?'

Silence… then, 'Oh, poop. You know my name now, don't you?'

'Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lulu, the Fae Sorceress. I would be delighted to be your friend.' Meanwhile, I absentmindedly ran through the rest of my daily routine. Today would be the first day of daycare. If my parents expected me to cry and hug mom's leg, they didn't voice their thoughts. After my dad left for work, my mom got ready for class at the community college and ushered me into her car. She'd be dropping me off. I decided to keep up my conversation with my new Caster. 'Lulu, is there anyone else in there?'

'Silly, there are nine of us in here,' she giggled. It was a nice giggle, somehow melodic and childish at the same time.

'I know, I mean, is there anyone who is watching us now?'

'Everyone is watching. Just as you know each of us, we can see your own past too.'

I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Even if the Champions never came out of their chambers, wherever those led, I'd be an open book to them. 'Well, Lulu, I don't mind giving you some limited control over my body, but you have to promise not to use magic.'

'I can't, you weirdo. We have to Include or Install for you to do that.'

I thought about that. It made sense. 'Would you like to play with the children then?'

'Oooh, can I?'

So that's how my day went, with Lulu in the driver's seat, her fae charisma somehow convincing every child at the daycare to start a conga line that wrapped around one of the buildings. She also started a "zoo" full of shadow puppets, convinced two kids that strawberries are made of crayons, covered the toilet bowl in a layer of plastic wrap, and still somehow managed to pass the blame onto one of the new volunteers at the daycare. By the end of it, I was the energetic, angelic kid who could do no wrong, the children were dead asleep, and our teachers looked like they'd love nothing more than to join us. I'd never been more grateful for nap time.

X

"ROBIN!" a tiny, purple missile of fluff ran into my stomach, driving the air from my lungs. Sure enough, I was in my adult state. My mind, after all, was that of an adult. "Thatwassomuchfuncanwedoitagain?" her excited question came out as a barely coherent babble.

It's one thing to read that Yordles are short, but an entire separate matter to hold one in your arms. Lulu was in what I'd call her "classic skin," red pointed hat and robes with an oversized staff. She was a boundless bundle of energy, a supernova crammed inside a tiny body about three feet tall. I couldn't help myself. I stole her hat and placed it on my own head. Then, I palmed her scalp, gently rubbing between her furry ears.

Her nose scrunched up adorably, the definition of "weaponized cute." She seemed lost between taking offense and enjoying the sensation, but eventually settled in favor of pleasure. She hopped into my arms and I held her like a massive kitten.

"Hello to you too, Lulu," I chuckled. "And yes, if you'd like, we can go play with the children. But," I started.

She stared searchingly into my eyes. It's so easy to forget that Lulu is _ancient_. She dwelled in the Glade, where time takes a hike and logic hangs itself with its own nonexistent mustache. Despite her apparent immaturity, Lulu was far from stupid. She loved games, pranks, and magic, but wasn't anybody's fool either. "But?"

"But you can't cause trouble for other people," I said sternly. "Pranks like covering the toilet seat? A the volunteer got in a ton of trouble for that." She hung her head. By all appearances, she looked suitably chastised, but I knew better. "Lulu…"

"Umm… I'll limit it to only a few pranks?" she said.

I doubted I'd get a real promise from her, so I sighed and nodded. "Fine. Harmless pranks are okay, but you can't do things like that, okay?" A nod. "You also have to teach me how to use some magic of my own. I'd also like to train using Include at first, then move on to Install." She squirmed in my arms and wrapped herself around my neck, climbing until she sat on my shoulders. She clutched my hair then thumped my head like a drum. "Ow, stop that!"

The point of her hat extended downward to wrap around my right bicep. Before I could react, she swung around and to the floor, snatching her staff from the ground on the way. Standing before me, her presence sure as hell made her feel taller than three feet. "You're being silly!"

"What? You know this world's going to shit, Lulu," I said. "I need to train as soon as possible!"

"Maybe," she admitted, "but your mistake was asking me for training. Fairies don't train, you goof; fairies _are_ magic."

It dawned on me. "Are you saying it's not possible for me to use any of your magic?"

"Yup, you can't use fairy magic unless you Include me because you're not a fairy. Even yordles can't use it unless they lived in the Glade, you know."

I sagged, disappointed. It'd have been hilarious to turn Leviathan into a squirrel or something. That still wasn't off the table entirely, but I'd still be plain old squishy Robin without her. "I was hoping I could learn to defend myself without relying on you guys."

She cooed, "Aww, don't be sad, Robin. I'm not the only Champion here after all. Have you met Pix?"

No, I hadn't even noticed the purple fairy. Some sort of presence concealment maybe? Pix was simultaneously beautiful and imposing, enchanting and dangerous. As all members of the fae, he was a mystery to my feeble human mind. I did the only thing I could. "Hello, Pix, it is a pleasure to meet you," I said with a slight bow.

He flew forward and tapped my nose. "He says he's happy to make a new friend too," Lulu translated. "We can't teach you to use fae magic, but we can work on our Include. We should do that at night."

I nodded. "That's fair."

Then, I woke up to one of my new friends shaking me. Victoria Dallon's dazzling blue eyes greeted me.

 **Omake: From the Journal of Robin Cardinal**

 _Name: Lulu, the Fae Sorceress_

 _Class: Caster_

 _Affiliation: The Glade, Wanderer_

 _Alignment: Chaotic/Good_

 _Personal Notes: Lulu is young despite her age and that perhaps describes her better than any comment about her appearance or character. She is a walking contradiction, a paradox in the form of a yordle. Short of stature, tall in power. Young in heart, ancient in age. Immature yet wise, strong, yet fragile. She adores pranks, games, nature, and Pix. She abhors the thought of growing old, in mind, not body, she would say. Some say she sees two worlds, the mortal and spiritual planes. Whether that's true, or she's just crazy, is anybody's guess. She isn't particularly fond of bitter foods either._

 _Strength: D_

 _Endurance: D_

 _Agility: C_

 _Mana: A_

 _Luck: A_

 _Noble Phantasm: EX_

 _Noble Phantasm 1: Blessing of the Seelie Guide (A)_

 _Classification: Anti-Unit/Barrier_

 _Incantation: NA_

 _Description: Lulu was known for her inseparable companion, Pix. Her legend is his legend. This is the Noble Phantasm that represents their bond. She can call on him, and through him the Seelie Court, to create an impenetrable shield that lasts for six seconds. She is also capable of channeling all spells through Pix just as easily as she can through her staff._

 _Noble Phantasm 2: Glitterlance (B+)_

 _Classification: Anti-Unit_

 _Incantation: NA_

 _Description: Lulu became known for this signature spell in her life. When she transcended, this spell accompanied her as one of her Noble Phantasms. Although it isn't known for being very destructive, it warrants a high rank due to its potential. Both Pix and Lulu can fire these bolts. The attack cannot be blocked. Those struck receive a reduced version of the temporal hex she experienced as a child. Each victim is marked as a bounded field, reducing the passage of time within this field by one-fifth the standard. The hex lasts as long as she continues to fuel it._

 _Noble Phantasm 3: Polymorph (EX)_

 _Classification: Anti-Unit/Anti-Reality_

 _Incantation: NA_

 _Description:_ _Lulu's childlike mental state which accepts anything as possible makes her uniquely suited for fae magic. At its core, fae magic is the alteration of reality, making the illogical the logical. Her brand of reality manipulation is influenced by her childlike mentality, and therefore her belief that "cute things are great." She can alter something's size and form at will, changing its very existence to suit her own ideal, though usually not permanently._

 _Skill 1: Item Construction (D)_

 _Description: Lulu is a Caster who is beloved by the fae. She could, theoretically, create artifacts that would shame even some Noble Phantasms. Despite being a master of magecraft and a Caster with peerless potential, her rank in this signature skill is extremely low because the rank reflects her chaotic character. She is not someone with the patience for the creation process. Perhaps it is because of this naive nature that she is so beloved… She's only ever created two artifacts, a hat with a prehensile point she uses as a third arm, and her staff, and the world should be grateful for that._

 _Skill 2: Territory Creation (EX)_

 _Description: Lulu's association with the fae has changed her on a fundamental level. Everywhere she goes, magic and nature will answer her call, whether she's consciously calling or not. The realm of the fae is ephemeral and this skill reflects that most basic truth. She does not create territory like an architect or occupy land like a general. Rather, her every breath brings the realm of the fae in closer contact with the mortal plane. What happens if she stays too long in one place is anybody's guess for even Lulu doesn't know the answer._

 _Skill 3: Innocent Monster (C)_

 _Description: In life, Lulu was a wanderer who loved to bring a touch of magic to peoples' lives. Despite her friendliness, she was viewed as a danger wherever she went. Even now that she's a Heroic Spirit, she will be met with suspicion if not outright hostility._

 _Skill 4: Nature of a Rebellious Spirit (A)_

 _Description: Her status as a wanderer, childish personality, whimsy, and love of games makes her a natural rebel. When one thinks of "rebel," it is not usually someone like Lulu, but the fact remains, Lulu will never embrace a lord._

 **Author's Note**

 **Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Yes, Lulu, the prankster extraordinaire, is Caster. League has a very long list of Champions who could qualify as Caster, but I settled on Lulu because I thought her personality would be really fun to write.**

 **I'll be releasing these Champion profiles bit by bit. Like I said, I'm generally following the layout set by Fate/Grand Order. Let me know what you think of Lulu's profile. If you think Lulu's Noble Phantasms are broken? You're kinda right, but I think appropriately so. I tried to make her a very special type of Caster. She's not supposed to obliterate Leviathan like Aurelion Sol or Zoe might, but she's incredibly powerful if in a very unorthodox way. Here's a quick explanation of her NPs.**

 **NP 1: In Nasu-verse canon, the only real faecraft Noble Phantasm we see is Avalon. The same Avalon that creates a shield that divides dimensions and provides a corridor into the Ever-Distant Utopia. The same Avalon that can grant Arturia immortality and near-instant regeneration. Lulu doesn't have Avalon. No, she has a flesh and blood (and ether?) fae in her partner, Pix.**

 **NP 2: In Riot's original lore (yeah, her new lore isn't out yet as of this writing) she vanished from Bandle City and entered the Glade. There, she played with Pix and when she came out again, she found that everyone she loved was already long dead. Time had passed for the world, but not her. Her story is based off of Rip Van Winkle and I thought this would be an interesting way to apply the slow from Glitterlance.**

 **NP 3: Her old W used to be called Polymorph. The name literally means "many shapes" and has no real restriction to living things. It's my way of incorporating both her R and W into one convenient Noble Phantasm. Is it broken? You decide. It's without a doubt her most costly ability, but it can definitely change a battle instantly.**

 **Champions**

 **Ruler:**

 **Shielder:**

 **Saber:**

 **Archer:**

 **Lancer:**

 **Rider:**

 **Caster: Lulu, the Fae Sorceress**

 **Assassin:**

 **Berserker:**

 **Who are the rest? You're free to guess, but I'm not going to say beforehand. I have the majority of Champions set already, but you're free to make comments or suggestions. Just don't get butthurt if your favorite Champion isn't represented.**

 **Two things to keep in mind. One, Robin's Origin is Communion, meaning he has an innate desire and drive to understand others, both opponents and allies. Install overwrites his own existence with that of his Champion, but that isn't possible if the Champion is anathema to his Origin. For example, I will never include Kindred or Hecarim as Archer and Rider (atypical) respectively even though I like them a lot. Champions whose sole reason for existence is to mete out death in some form like those two would directly contradict Robin's Origin. How can you understand someone if your purpose is to remove anything left to understand? Two, the Champions' souls have to ascend to the Throne. Another reason Hecarim, Mordekaiser, and many other Shadow Isle Champions won't be included is that although they died, their souls never leave the mortal plane.**

 **Other than that, suggest away. As of this chapter, I have Shielder, Saber, Caster, Lancer, and Ruler pretty much set in stone. I'm still on the fence about Rider, but the others might change as well depending on where the Muse take me.**

 **If you would like more of this and other stories, please support my hobby on dot com slash Sorre.**


	2. Reborn 1-2

**Preface**

 **Day two of my little four day event. As promised, here is chapter two of my new story.**

 **Reborn 1.2**

Victoria Dallon is beautiful. I don't mean that in a perverted way, she's four, but by the Root she doesn't need the aura of charisma or whatever she gets later. She's not perfect, I could still see a bit of applesauce smudged on the corner of her mouth from lunch, but that bit of innocent uncleanliness just seemed to add to her adorableness. I decided then and there that she and Amy wouldn't end up the tragic heroines they did in canon, not if I could help it.

She smiled shyly, none of the overconfidence she had from being virtually invulnerable present in her childhood self. She was a typical toddler: cute, clumsy, sloppy, and filled with apprehension and excitement over the thought of new friends and experiences.

I returned the smile with one of my own and pressed a finger to her button nose. "Off, Vicky, let me up."

After hours of running around, the children were much more amenable to quieter activities like learning their numbers and letters. It was a clever arrangement, tire the little shits out first, get them food and a nap, then work on cramming some knowledge into them. I sat obediently next to Vicky while our teacher, one Miss Stevens, tried to teach us our letters using alphabet cards decorated with bright pictures. "A is for apple…"

By the time school let out, I had become Vicky's "bestie," something Lulu took issue with. Apparently, I could only have one "bestie" and that spot was taken. Honestly, I had no idea if Lulu was really upset or just yanking my chain.

'You know she becomes a hero,' I chided the sorceress. 'It's important to make connections now.'

She settled down with an exaggerated huff. 'Fine, but I'm still your best friend!' I rolled my eyes and sent a mental hug her way.

Rather than herd a rabble of screaming children outside, the teachers had the parents come pick us up from the room designated the "playpen." That… honestly made me feel like a farm animal, but I suppose it's fine.

"Momma!" I was blasted back from my inner thoughts by a screaming Vicky missile. Carol Dallon, Brandish, had the whole no nonsense thing going on in canon, but here, in a daycare with her daughter's arms around her leg, she let that lawyer persona go. Her smile was so gentle that for a moment, I thought I had the wrong Dallon family. There's no way _Carol Dallon_ could smile like that.

As it turns out, I was wrong. Vicky let go of her mother and skipped back to me. She dragged me to supermom with all the finesse of a freight train. I narrowly avoided stepping on a lego. Fuck legos, they're the bane of my childhood in both lifetimes. At first, Carol scrutinized me, judging me to see if I'm worthy of being around her daughter, but even she couldn't keep up that persona against the conceptual might of a four year old's darling charm. With Vicky by my side to double the cuteness dosage? Yeah, not a chance. Her stern facade quickly made way for a gentler smile.

"And who is this, Victoria?"

"He's Robin. He's my new bestie! He made everyone dance and sing and then the teachers gave us food and made us nap," she babbled happily. I just nodded, content to let Hurricane Victoria do the talking.

"Robin," just then, my mom's voice cut in. It's still strange, I won't lie, to think of someone else as "mom," but I was coping. Did I love her? Not really, but she certainly was putting in the effort to love me so the least I could do was admit that she was my mom, if only the second.

"Hello, mom," I greeted, "How was class?"

Carol's eyebrow rose at that. A young mother going back to school was common enough, but a toddler asking her about class? That was new. She let my mom and me have our moment then stepped up to greet her. "Carol Dallon," she said, "I take it your son and my daughter became friends."

Emily Cardinal looked at me. "Is this true? Did you make a new friend?"

I nodded and pointed to a shuffling Vicky. "Victoria Dallon. She's a bit shy at first, but is really energetic once you get past that."

"That's great, honey, I'm glad."

If Carol thought it strange that I could speak like an adult, she made no comment.

X Year Five X

As it turns out, The Dallons only lived two blocks over while the Pelhams were only six blocks away. That meant that whenever Carol and Mark had late nights at the office, Mark was mid-management at a consulting firm, Vicky and the Pelhams would be left with me and mom. Crystal, Eric, and Victoria became frequent guests at our house due to their parents' hero work. When I met Mark, I got the impression that his depression was weighing him down. He'd likely quit his job soon to be a full time househusband and part time hero, probably with the excuse of being close to Vicky and Amy.

That was another thing to note. Amy, or Amelia Claire Lavere, would be joining the Dallons in one year. She was adopted when she was six and she was, conveniently, the same age as us.

Eric, a year younger than me, was your typical toddler. Four, pudgy, and a bit of a crybaby. Crystal, two years older, doted on him quite a bit. As the oldest among us, Vicky followed her around like a duckling follows its mother and she usually dictated the games we'd play. Whenever it suited her, Lulu would come out to enjoy herself.

Being sidelined in my own body was still a novel experience. I wasn't exactly thrilled to be playing children's games with them and watching Lulu enjoy herself so much made me happy. Seeing full grown adults baffled at the sheer illogical wisdom of a "child" had nothing to do with it at all. While Lulu helped me keep up my childish persona, I was often in my own mindscape, getting the ever loving shit beaten out of me.

X

"Again," Saber said, her voice gentle but demanding. A keening whine was my only response. "You're making progress, Robin."

I panted, exhausted, but got to my feet anyway. "It'd help if your dances had names, Irelia."

Yes, Xan Irelia, the Blade Dancer, was my Saber. She wasn't traditional in that she rarely held a blade in her hands, but she certainly could be called a blade mistress in her own right. We were currently in her own chambers, a strange mix between a rock garden and dojo. Her dances were the fundamental basics of her fighting style, the Hiten-ryu, taught to her by her grandmother and refined through countless battles. I met her when I decided to knock on a chamber door two months after meeting Lulu. I was thinking about Shielder at first, he or she is unlikely to be evil given the protective nature of the class, but decided to risk it with Saber. I desperately needed training and refinement and one of the most martial classes out there could hopefully help me out. The earlier I started those aspects of my conditioning, the better.

She had only agreed to lend me her power should I master the dances that her grandmother taught her. I suspected it had something to do with passing on her legacy to a worthy disciple, something I could wholly appreciate.

The forms were awkward at first, sloppy, but with her patient teaching, I was finally getting there. And yet, no matter how much I progressed, I felt as though I was missing something. I let her know.

"That's because you _are_ missing something, my foolish Master."

"What do you mean? My forms aren't as precise or as graceful as yours, but you're a Heroic Spirit who refined these for decades before death. I'm just human…"

"Yes, that's one reason, but not the real reason behind your failure. Until you alter the way you think, you'll never be able to wield my blades. Leave," she said.

"I-If I've done something to offend you," I began.

She shook her head ruefully. "No, that's not it at all. You know all the forms by heart now. Your movements could be softer, gentler, but that kind of refinement will only come with time. The dance, I have taught you. You must discover the rest yourself."

"Is this one of those sagely 'Prove yourself to me' kind of thing?"

She smirked, her smile reminiscent of a blooming lotus, gentle and yet reaching deep beneath the water. "Yes."

I groaned, but couldn't find it in me to be upset with her. "Fine, any hints?"

"Ask yourself, why do I dance?"

That… wasn't much to go on, but I bowed and stepped outside anyway after thanking her for her lesson. These chambers apparently connected to their own locales within the Throne of Heroes and as I left, I could see her sit down to enjoy a cup of tea that hadn't been there before.

I closed the door behind me and made my way to the notebook at the tenth throne. My throne. I opened it up to see some of the notes I'd made about myself. The notebook included notes I'd made about myself, observations from Lulu's expert eye, all forty-two dance forms that Irelia taught me, profiles of Champions that the book naturally provided as my right as Master, and every little detail I could remember about the events of Worm.

 _Self Analysis_

 _Name: Robin Cardinal_

 _Alias: Undetermined_

 _Element: Ether_

 _Origin: Communion_

 _Circuits: Twenty-Four_

 _Prana Output per Circuit: Twenty-Five_

 _Total Prana Output: Six Hundred_

 _Spells: Structural Grasp, Reinforcement_

I smiled. This wasn't exactly the thousand units that Rin Tohsaka was supposed to have, but I didn't expect Zelretch to make me a magical prodigy anyway. My only gripe was that I still had no combat options outside of Include and Install. I wasn't nearly good enough at Reinforcement yet and even then, that wouldn't be a good enough buffer to keep me alive when push came to shove. Worse, I had no idea how to use my Element because there wasn't anyone available to teach me runes or formalcraft and the like. I didn't want to be a sitting duck without my Champions. Even Illya was able to use Ruby to blast people with prana cannons without her Cards. Hopefully, I'd be able to record more spells of my own in this section.

X

I was drawn from my mind by Lulu throwing herself out of the driver seat. She grinned manically, her daily dose of chaos satisfied. Eric, incidentally, now sported blue hair. Vicky and Crystal swapped emotions between horrified and joining "me" laughing on the ground. How that happened? I judged it best not to ask. We all received a round of scolding from my mom, but I Eric looked somewhat pensive. Thankfully, it was just food coloring, but he became oddly attached to blue hair.

'Holy shit, did we just inspire his costume?' I thought.

'I think so. I wonder where he got it in canon?' Lulu.

After the Pelhams and Dallons left, my parents tucked me into bed and read me a bedtime story, a watered down version of the Odyssey. I pretended to fall asleep, sinking into my mindscape and leaving my body without a pilot.

As soon as I heard them leave, I crawled out of my bed, my parents had given up on a crib long ago, and picked up a toy car they'd gotten me for my last birthday. Hot Wheels didn't exactly hold my interest, but the tiny model cars did provide one purpose: test subjects.

The most basic spell in any magus' arsenal is Structural Grasp and so that'd be one of mine too. It would be important for both combat and general research while giving me a neat excuse for why I know everyone's secret identity. No not really. Coil had a habit of collecting Thinkers like Lisa and Dinah and I had no intention of getting on his radar quite yet. If I wanted him dead, and I did, then I'd have to strike hard, fast, and completely out of left field.

I knew I wouldn't be good enough to read the history of objects anytime soon. I was neither an Incarnation nor did I have nothing better to occupy my time. I'd be content with just knowing the material composition and intended use of the item. I spent all last year trying to figure out how to open and close my circuits and practicing Structural Grasp and Reinforcement. In the end, I got what I wanted, if in a limited way.

 _Hot Wheels. Car. Model. Plastic casing over cheap, aluminum chassis. Scale model of a Bugatti Veyron. Intended for recreational use by toddlers._

That was how I spent my fifth year in Brockton Bay, a mix of dancing and magecraft 101 with a healthy dose of Lulu's antics sprinkled in.

X Year Six X

I mastered Structural Grasp. It was a weird feeling, knowing that I can learn almost anything about anything simply by extending my prana a little ways. The most basic spell in the book, and I'd already be considered a decent Thinker here. Today was February 14, 2000. I had written my mom a "You're my valentine" card to be cute. After a healthy dose of coddling and chocolate, I retired to my room to figure out Irelia's damn riddle.

I lay in bed trying to remember what I could of her legend.

'Thinking of a woman in bed? My, Master, you're growing up so fast,' the blade mistress in question giggled. She wasn't the type you'd think of as "giggling," perhaps only as she cleaves Noxian skulls, but she'd opened up quite a bit over the past two years.

'What can I say? You're my valentine, Irelia,' I thought, my tone as suave as a six year old could be.

She laughed, only to yelp in surprise. I got curious, so ducked inside my mindscape only to find Lulu chasing Irelia around the atrium. She was riding her staff like a broom while Irelia rode her blades like a skateboard, dodging the occasional Glitterlance. I heard Lulu shout something about valentines and besties and decided it'd be wise to stay out of it.

I chuckled to myself and sat at my seat, making notes of Irelia's legend. "Let's see," I mumbled to myself, "Irelia was the rebel leader who fought to expel Noxus from Ionia. She actually never wanted to fight, only really enjoying the dances her grandmother taught her… Her powers manifested much like a trigger event, just as Noxians were about to behead her after killing her entire family…"

I yelped in shock and pain as a beam of pink energy sizzled my hair. The notebook was wrenched from my grasp and my vision was filled with an irate Lulu. "Robin," she said sweetly, but I wasn't fooled. Fairies were the epitome of "more than meets the eye" and I knew she was pissed.

I gulped. "Yes, bestie?"

"I'm your bestie, right?" I nodded. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Irelia blow a raspberry at me and run back into her chamber. So much for Ionian compassion. "So why is Irelia your valentine and not me?" Her tone was calm, as casual as if she were talking about the weather or the taste of purple. Yet, there was an undercurrent of danger, warning me to tread carefully.

"Who says I can have only one valentine?" I tried. "I got valentines chocolates from Crystal and Victoria, remember? If I can receive more than one, I can give more than one too, right?" I… have no idea how that logic passed with her, but Lulu shrugged and plopped herself down on my lap. Crisis averted, I imagined some of the chocolate I ate today and passed them to her. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret giving you chocolate, but…"

"Nonsense, chocolate is amazing and I'm also amazing. So, I'll be even more amazing with chocolate!" Lulu cried as she stuffed her face, Pix taking a small nibble here and there.

I just smiled wanly and rubbed her ears. "If you say so. Now go give some to Irelia too."

She shot me a venomous look in response. "No. Mine! Not sharing!"

"That's quite alright, Robin," Irelia had stepped back outside while we were talking. She was munching on a bit of red bean mochi. "I have my own snacks. Besides, I wouldn't want to steal candy from a baby," she teased.

I sighed. Those two…

X

Due to… various disturbances, it took me a long time to figure out why I couldn't use Irelia's dances to throw blades around. Irelia only fought because she had to, but her true appreciation was for the dances themselves, not her martial skill. Unlike her, I sought power for power's sake, the dances were a means to an end. Once, her grandmother said that if the forms have names, only the wind knows them now. I had no idea how literal that was. Everyone in Ionia believed that everything came of the Spirit. In turn, we would all return to the Spirit. Spirit filled her blades; Irelia wasn't inherently a magus. No, I myself would have to demonstrate that same devotion.

Once I posed the answer to her, she smiled and began to teach me in earnest. Really, it wasn't teaching so much as times of peace and tranquility where we lost ourselves to the dance. My first time using Install, we spent the entire night dancing away, our hearts and minds as one, flowing from one form to the next in perfect harmony. This, this was Install, the overwrite of my own existence with that of the Heroic Spirit.

This was both similar and different to Lulu's Install. With Irelia, I felt her guide me into steps I already knew, like taking a walk down a familiar trail with a precious friend. With Lulu, the magic that flowed through me was far more tumultuous, swirling in a maelstrom of chaotic, primal magic that shaped all of Runeterra. Both required that I look outside myself, to the Spirit and to nature, but where Irelia was peace, Lulu was chaos. While both sought joy in their own ways, they sought it in fundamentally different forms. For Irelia, the dance was a moment of solitude, of solemn contemplation and steady dedication. For Lulu, magic was to be shared and the whispers of nature, of fairies not even in this reality, coaxed laughter after laughter from my lungs.

X

March twelfth. What's so special about this day? Not a damn thing. I mean, it's the World Day Against Cyber Censorship, but let's be honest, no one gives a damn. I had to Google that one myself. Nope, the day wasn't all that special, but it'd have a special place in my heart from now on. Why? Vicky brought her "sister" to our kindergarten. Yeah, our houses were close enough that I'd be attending public education with the Dallons and Pelhams. After daycare, we became inseparable and following the logic of a six year old, that meant I must be Amy's bestie too.

The first impression I had of the soon to be "world's greatest healer" was… fragile. Even at our age, the poor thing clung to Vicky like a limpet, hands clutching the hem of her sister's skirt and using the effervescent blonde as a human shield. Vicky wasn't having that though. She turned and pulled her sister forward. "Hey, Robin," she shouted. I saw Amy flinch next to her; Vicky still hadn't quite learned to use her indoor voice yet. "Guess what? I have a new sister!"

I did my best to feign surprise. Thankfully, Amy wasn't scheduled to be a walking lie detector anytime soon; she triggered in canon in 2008, the same as Vicky. "Really? How does that work?" I placed thumbed my chin in exaggerated wonder before shaking my head. "You know what? Who cares? A sister of Vicky's is my sister too."

That was obviously the right answer because Vicky's smile was bright enough to light up Zion's golden ass. "See? I told you my friend would like you too," she told Amy.

Emboldened by her sister, the mousy girl stepped forward to meet me. "H-Hi…" she stuttered, "I'm Amy Dallon…"

"Hi," I grinned. She was one of my favorite characters when I read the story and it was amazing to meet her, even if she had no idea at this moment. "I'm Robin Cardinal, let's get along."

Honestly, were we both adults, we probably would have stood in awkward silence. One of us would begin talking about the weather, then we'd get into a conversation about what we do for a living, where we're from, and all the other usual pleasantries that make up a networking experience. Thankfully, we weren't adults… one of us at any rate. We also had Hurricane Vicky to keep us from being mired in pointless peasantries. She grabbed each of us by the hand and led us to take charge of the kindergarten's lego corner.

I have no idea how, but they somehow twisted my arm into playing house with them, so I just left my body to Lulu and joined Irelia for some intensive dance practice (read getting my ass kicked by a storm of swords).

X

After months of practice, a mere five days from Thanksgiving, I finally deemed myself ready to meet my third Champion. Irelia and Lulu agreed with me, albeit reluctantly on Lulu's part. She had begun to grudgingly accept Irelia as a sister and wasn't eager to change up the dynamic once more. Yet, needs must and I found myself at the atrium of my mindscape, flanked by my two Champions. They each gave me a hug and pushed me towards a door. Shielder this time.

"Good luck," they whispered.

X

Cold. Freezing. Glacial. Fucking liquid nitrogen poured down my testicles… No, there just weren't any words in the English language to describe the arctic chill that greeted me. 'And… I know exactly who Shielder is,' I thought dryly.

I was standing on a mountain, freezing my balls off. I looked down and saw a cave, filled with villagers banging against a familiar vault door. Slowly, a man, over seven feet tall, approached. He had muscles on muscles, his biceps big enough to have biceps. The trademark mustache ruffled in the breeze, declaring his name just as well as any flag. 'Braum,' I thought.

He began to hammer at the vault door and for a moment, people thought he could make it through, but it wasn't to be. Not even he could destroy a creation of Ornn's. So, after seeing the cave tremble, Braum decided that if the door refused to be a door, he'd make his own. He dug through the mountain. _He dug through a mountain_.

Just as the whole thing was about to collapse, I rolled down the slopes. I joined with villagers who could not see me, gaping at Braum's strength. With a mighty heave, he used the vault door to throw aside the collapsed rubble and save the troll boy.

As I watched the village fawn over the hero, my vision faded to black.

"You know my name, don't you, my friend?" a voice called in the darkness.

"I do, Braum."

"And why are you here?"

"You know."

"Ah, but I would hear the truth from you, my Master."

Slowly, first one speck of light then another illuminated Braum's personal chamber. It reminded me of an old fashioned inn, a bar filled with what I assumed to be Gragas' concoctions on one end with tables in spread throughout the space. On the wall, decorations of rams filled the room with a cheery aura. A toasty fire burned in the fireplace.

Braum sat, his shield leaning against his back, with a mug of some amber liquid in his hand. Up close, he seemed so much bigger, _larger than life_. It was no mystery to me why he became a folk hero of the Avarosa. His large frame aside, his eyes were bright and welcoming, the ideal friendly giant.

With his silent encouragement, I began. "This world will end in roughly eleven years, Braum. Billions upon billions of people will die trying to stop the so called 'greatest hero' from destroying all of mankind. Countless others will suffer. My friend, Victoria? Her mind and body will break. She ends up in an insane asylum. Eric? He dies. Crystal? She has to watch both her father and brother die in front of her. Amy? She ruins her own life and the lives of her dearest loved ones in a moment of desperation. And that's just the people immediately around me. Help me, Braum. Help me to bring a happy ending for my friends."

"Are Saber and Caster not enough, Master?"

"They are amazing, but I need more than swords or magic. I need a shield. Irelia is like a scalpel, precise and good for cutting out the tumors that plague this city. Lulu is unpredictable, her magic useful for the variety it brings. But neither of them will help me protect my friends and family. Neither of them can shoulder the weight of a mountain. Help me," I pleaded again.

"Ha! Good answer, Master." Braum chugged the last of his ale and patted me on the back, the force of his hand almost driving me to my knees. "Come, let me meet my new comrades. So long as you fight to protect, my shield will forever be yours."

 **Omake: From the Journal of Robin Cardinal**

 _Name: Xan Irelia, the Blade Dancer_

 _Class: Saber_

 _Affiliation: Ionia_

 _Alignment: Lawful/Good_

 _Personal Notes: Xan Irelia, better known as the Blade Dancer and Will of the Blades, is for Ionia what Garen Crownguard is for Demacia, an undeniable symbol of hope, strength, discipline, and boundless courage. She first manifested her powers as she was about to be beheaded by the same Noxians that slew her parents. Bits of metal that littered her home lashed out in her defense as she performed dances carved into her body. Later, she would describe her combat style as a natural extension of the dances her grandmother taught her. The forty-two forms are a means of worship, tributes to the Spirit of Ionia, of life. Therefore, Irelia's power is not of herself, but from one who is greater. The dances have no formal name, but Ionians began to call it the "Hiten-Ryu," or "Art of the Heavenly Gates." When asked, she would smile wistfully. Where her countrymen glimpsed a bit of the divine through her elegant movements, she could only long for the peaceful days of her youth spent dancing for no one's sake but her own. She was a reluctant leader who, at her core, just wanted to dance, eat sweets, drink tea, and find her family again._

 _Strength: C_

 _Endurance: B_

 _Agility: A_

 _Mana: C_

 _Luck: B_

 _Noble Phantasm: B_

 _Noble Phantasm 1: Transcendent Blades (B)_

 _Classification: Anti-Army_

 _Incantation: NA_

 _Description: This Noble Phantasm is the oldest in her arsenal and came about from the very first moment she took a life in desperate defense. She is capable of conjuring ornate, spiritual blades that orbit her person, controlled by her will. Although she can conjure enough blades to fill a battlefield in whirling death, she generally restrains herself to six in order to conserve her limited mana. Due to their spiritual nature, these blades can only be contested in a battle of wills, not force._

 _Noble Phantasm 2: Vanguard's Edge (B)_

 _Classification: Anti-Unit_

 _Incantation:_ _I move to unsung melodies and unbeaten rhythms, for those who came before and those who come next. I am both the tranquil sea and the tempest. Each form, a name known only to the wind. Vanguard's Edge!_

 _Description: Vanguard's Edge is an unusual Noble Phantasm in that unlike most, it is a skill rather than equipment. It is the absolute pinnacle of her craft, a technique used at the point when her connection to the Spirit burns brightest and the final form of her dances which represents her unceasing will in the protection of Ionia and those who follow her. Despite being born out of a desire to defend, it is an incredibly destructive Noble Phantasm which embodies Irelia's mentality, that "I shall fight so no one else has to." She ignores her natural limits, suffusing herself with the Spirit and conjuring an uncountable number of Transcendent Blades launched at a single opponent with all the precision and lethality that such perfect attunement with a greater Spirit provides. The blades then form an arena around her and her targeted opponent, forcing a singular confrontation._

 _Skill 1: Magic Resistance (B)_

 _Description: It is the class skill of Sabers. Irelia has a decent rating due to the spiritual nature of her sword style._

 _Skill 2: Riding (E)_

 _Description: It is the class skill of Sabers. As a rebel leader and the hope of her people, she was expected to travel often, to battle and to inspire all of Ionia to arms. While she was never a bad rider, her position would not allow it, she was not great either because her combat style suffers on horseback. She possesses the skill predominantly because of her Class, not her experience._

 _Skill 3: Pioneer of the Stars (A)_

 _Description: Irelia is best known for fending off the Noxian invasion of Ionia. Her deeds changed the course of history and had far-reaching impacts felt even as far as Demacia. As a Heroic Spirit, she can make the impossible into "something that can be achieved."_

 _Skill 4: Hiten-Ryu (A)_

 _Description: Irelia's sword style is a set of forty-two nameless dances. It gives her supernatural grace, speed, flexibility, awareness, and coordination and was considered unmatched by all but Wuju. When she was asked to teach it, her reply was, "I can teach you to dance in worship; I will not teach you to kill in the Spirit's name."_

 _Skill 5: Charisma (B)_

 _Description: Despite her reluctance to lead, nothing can change the fact that she was both a phenomenal general and a brilliant light of hope for her people. Her beauty, elegance, strength of will, and purity of heart drew her fellow countrymen to her like moths to a flame. Perhaps, her distaste for power only made her more appealing to her introverted, peace-loving people._

 _Skill 6: Divinity (E)_

 _Description: Irelia is not divine in origin; she's just a peace-loving girl thrust into a world of war and responsibility. Despite that, her dance connects her to the Spirit of Ionia in a way only seen in the likes of her fellow Champion, Karma._

 **Author's Note**

 **I actually just picked a name out of a hat for Jason and Emily. That she shares the name with Piggot is entirely coincidental.**

 **Why Victoria? Why not? I wanted to introduce a character quickly and that's just where my muse led me. I guess it could have been Dennis, who is the same age, but I wanted a reason for Robin to be present throughout Amy's upbringing.**

 **Why Irelia? I wanted an atypical Saber, someone who, while being a blade mistress, does not fight with blades in hand. Sabers also tend to have Noble Phantasms that act as beams or cause massive explosions. Caladbolg and Excalibur come to mind. Irelia is as Robin described her, a scalpel meant for precision more than strength. She's strong, no question, but she's not going to Excaliblast the Siberian out of existence or anything.**

 **Out of curiosity, how many of you knew her surname was Xan? I didn't until I reread her wiki. She's basically Jeanne d'Arc, except with psychic blades. I could have used Blade Surge or some other skill as a Noble Phantasm as well, but I felt that it ran counter to her "nameless dance" thing she has going on. It's much more likely that she only named them later in life, or that her men gave the techniques those names in her honor. I also felt that it cheapened the worth of Vanguard's Edge as a Noble Phantasm. Take Tsubame Gaeshi for example. It is considered the perfect sword art, a skill so unique that it transcended a fictional character into the Throne of Heroes by the weight of its existence alone. Vanguard's Edge is very much like that; it's a technique so iconic to her and her reason for fighting that it took on a life of its own apart from Hiten-Ryu.**

 **As for Braum, who else could be Shielder? I guess Leona or Taric, but I've already got one godly being planned. Besides, their legends don't appeal to me much. I used to love folktales as a kid and Braum reminds me of the likes of Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill.**

 **Ruler:**

 **Shielder: Braum, the Heart of the Freljord**

 **Saber: Xan Irelia, the Blade Dancer**

 **Archer:**

 **Lancer:**

 **Rider:**

 **Caster: Lulu, the Fae Enchantress**

 **Assassin:**

 **Berserker:**

 **If you would like more of this and other stories, please support my hobby on dot com slash Sorre.**


	3. Reborn 1-3

**Preface**

 **Day three! I've gotten a lot of questions and suggestions for Champions, but I'm being intentionally obtuse. That said, some of you did manage to guess a few of the other classes. I'm still looking for suggestions on Rider though…**

 **Reborn 1.3**

X Year Seven X

"Fuck… why… am… doing… this…" I gasped as i shoved myself up for my sixtieth push-up. Now that I hit seven years old, Irelia and Braum decided it'd be okay for me to start my physical training. On the plus side, this meant a really great foundation in physical fitness, martial arts, and general combat readiness. On the down side, it really sucked. Braum's "acceptable" level of strength was completely unreasonable from any normal perspective and his reply of 'Yer not normal; yer a magus,' wasn't exactly comforting. As soon as I finished my last set for the day, I collapsed onto the floor of my room.

It's been a year since Amy joined us. She integrated into our lives so seamlessly that at times, I wondered if she was ever gone. She was everyone's baby sister, adored by Crystal, Vicky, and myself. Even Eric, young as he was, went out of his way to make her feel welcome. I guess that's the beauty of being a child. When an adult says, "She's your sister," you take that as law. Sure, Vicky had a moment when she felt threatened by another person taking her parents' attention, but that worry turned out to be unfounded. Let's face it, Carol wasn't going to be replacing Vicky for anything, especially not the daughter of Marquis.

As I predicted, Mark retired to be a househusband and only went on patrols occasionally. My mom had gotten her paralegal's license and joined Carol's law firm, meaning that instead of my house, the Dallon residence became the place to be for babysitting and our usual antics.

Crystal briefly went through the "I'm older and too cool to hang out with people younger than me" phase, but we set her straight by dog piling her and tickling her until she wet herself. That, that's a bit of blackmail I'll hold on Laserdream for life.

She triggered, by the way. Not because we tickled her, that'd be pathetic, even worse than Vicky's own trigger event. No, it was my birthday and we watched the Ring. I like horror movies, okay? I loved it. It's a classic for a reason after all, but I may have forgotten that my friends didn't have adult minds. Welp, that's one TV we're never using again...

No, the movie didn't bother me. What _did_ bother me is that it may have given Lulu ideas…

Even at our young ages, there was no doubt in any of our minds that Crystal would be joining the family business. New Wave would have yet another flier. Sarah told her that she'd join her parents for her first patrol at the age of twelve so long as she kept up her grades. For the time being, her powers would be kept under wraps. Crysta's trigger made me wonder if I should "trigger" sometime as well.

There would be some precedent for an extremely young trigger: most notably, Vista triggered, or will trigger, at the age of eight. Presumably, Bonesaw was even younger when she triggered. Age wasn't really a factor so if I wanted to, I could. I decided that having a "trigger" of my own would help me break it to my parents. Over the years, I'd grown fond of them. It wasn't exactly love per se, but there certainly was some affection there. I knew what hiding her powers did for Skitter's relationship with her dad and I had no desire to replicate the experience for myself. In the end, I concluded that my own "trigger" should happen after I met all my Champions. That way, they'd get a say in which team I joined, if I joined one at all.

My magecraft training progressed quickly. While I wouldn't give myself any Servant rating, my Reinforcement is still too weak to even qualify for the E class, I did learn the basics. I could run faster and hit harder than anyone my age, and would until Vicky triggered. I could also enhance the concept of an object, making something _more_ than it was on its own. On a completely unrelated note, Crystal now loathes hot cheetos. "Tastes like molten lava," she says. I had nothing to do with that and you can't prove otherwise.

I also convinced my dad to get me a wooden sword from the renaissance faire last year and have been practicing reinforcing the material. Unfortunately, that's as far as I got for useful magecrafts. I wasn't dumb enough to try to tease out the meanings and grammar behind Elder Futhark runes or try my hand at formalcraft without proper guidance. I once tried to infuse a tree with ether, my element. Nothing happened so either I needed way more prana than I had access to, or I was just sinking it into the endless pit that is Gaia somehow.

Ether really was a challenge to work with. It was both everything and nothing. Basic magical theory, what little I knew anyway, stated that ether was the basis of all mysteries, the thing used to make imagination into reality. If a spell could be considered a recipe, ether was the water, that universal solvent that would be required no matter what the final product. However, ether by itself was… bland. And not having another Element or a teacher to help me bypass the lack of an affinity, I was stuck with just swirling water in a bowl. My ultimate goal was to give my Champions form outside my own body. It wouldn't be solid, Ether was "form without substance," but being able to introduce them, or even send them on scouting missions, would go a long way to explaining my powers. If I had to, I still wasn't entirely sure how much I should tell people.

My lack of knowledge in magecraft made me almost wish I had Ryze as Caster instead of Lulu, but I'd then remember the joy of enchanting my gundams to fight to the death and I'd revise my opinion.

My seventh year on Earth Bet also turned out to be the most eventful in terms of Champions. Over the July Fourth weekend, our three families went camping outside the city and I had the rather peculiar honor of meeting two Champions in a single night.

X Year Seven, July Fourth X

"Robin, come help us set up the tents," my dad called. We were a family of three. Why we had that beast of a tent I have no idea, but I was obligated to help him set up. It's supposed to be "father-son bonding time" or somesuch. I didn't really see child labor as a relationship building experience, but whatever. He only laughed when I told him so.

As I struggled with one of the supports, Eric and Crystal were playing catch nearby. We were camping for fun, sure, but the seclusion of a remote camping site made for the perfect place to train Crystal's burgeoning powers without drawing too much attention. Really, he was throwing the ball as high up as he could and Crystal was flying up to grab it, something about improving her coordination. Apparently, having flight as your power didn't magically give you some innate understanding of three-dimensional movement. For the moment, even a rubber ball thrown by her six year old brother posed a decent challenge.

She must have missed, because the ball dropped on my head. It didn't hurt, but it was just enough distraction for me to drop the tent support, causing my side to collapse. "Oi!" I shouted and tossed it back.

"Sorry!" Crystal called.

I grumbled, but made no further issue of it. I could've sworn I heard someone chuckling in my mind. Male, not quite as deep as Braum's voice. It looks like I've got another Champion to visit.

X

Dinner was an interesting experience. I'm glad to say that as a seven year old, I finally earned enough trust from my mother to handle the kitchen. I wasn't obsessive over it like a certain sword nut, but it was both my hobby and profession in my past life. Now, it served as a connection to my past, one of the few I had remaining.

No matter how responsible, there was no way my mother would let me handle the open campfire, so all I managed to do was mix the seasoning. It was the same mix I used in my restaurant, a dry rub to coat my wings before baking. Frying was more typical in southern cuisine, but I found baking preserved more of the flavor than frying in oil. While Neil, Manpower, handled the fire, I mixed the wet sauce that would glaze the wings after they were done cooking.

"I wouldn't expect you to take an interest in cooking, Robin," he began to make light conversation. In costume, the world knew him as a high end Brute, a juggernaut who could manipulate electromagnetic fields to tank almost anything. Out of costume, he was a surprisingly mild family man. I know, Clark Kent syndrome, but you'd never expect the man to be a joker with his massive build and spade-like hands that could palm your skull.

I shrugged noncommittally. "Eh, it's fun. I like making things with my own hands and it's less work than woodshop, a lot more immediately rewarding, too." I added a touch more of cayenne into the sauce and swirled it for a minute before handing the pan to him. "Keep that on low fire for a minute to simmer."

"You're not what I'd expect in a seven year old." He grabbed the pan and with his left hand, adjusted the coals directly. Barriers were bullshit.

"No, no I am not."

"Tell me, how is Eric? I know you've been helping him with school. I appreciate that, by the way."

I began to chop some celery and carrot sticks for a veggie platter. "No problem, kid's cute. He's learning pretty quickly. His spelling could use a bit of work, but that'll come with time. He likes motorcycles though. Maybe get him some children's books about them?"

"Heh, 'kid's cute?' You talk like you're a decade older than him," Neil said ruefully. "I'll keep your suggestion in mind. You know, I used to drive a bike when I was in college." Hearing a hum in reply, he continued. "Yep, this mild-mannered superhero was something of a rebel back in the day," he joked.

"What happened to your bike?"

"It got totalled while I was trying to do something stupid. I fancied myself a stuntman. Suffice to say, I wasn't. That's how I got my powers, you know. I got some hang time, was about to hit some rocks, panicked, then volla, electromagnetic force field."

I mulled that over for a moment. Triggers always interested me. You had some extreme, brutal events like Skitter's and Bonesaw's on one end of the spectrum and comparatively vanilla events like Laserdream's and Glory Girl's on the other. Then you had events that fell somewhere in the middle like Manpower's and events that didn't quite fit like Vista's. Physical trauma, psychological trauma, it seemed like anything that changed your life or perspective of the world could qualify. Sometimes, even less than that.

While I wasn't paying attention, my knife slipped from my hand. It never would have happened in my old life, but this body didn't have the muscle memory to handle a blade by rote. "Shit," I hissed as I shoved the finger in my mouth.

"Language," Neil scolded before turning to me to see blood. He immediately broke his own rule. "Oh fuck, Emily's going to kill me. Alright, let Uncle Neil see." He gently pried my hand from my mouth.

The cut wasn't too bad, just a flesh wound on my left thumb. "It's not that big a deal, Neil," I said calmly. "I reacted more out of shock than anything. It's my fault for spacing out."

"Still, let's get you a band-aid."

Knowing it'd be futile to argue, I walked with him to his car. On the way, I decided to continue our earlier conversation. "Say, Neil."

"Hmm?"

"Why'd you tell me about your trigger? Isn't it supposed to be really personal and stuff?"

He chuckled good-naturedly. "Normally, triggers are bad. They represent the worst events in a parahuman's life. I got off lucky in that regard. One accident, an instinctive reaction, and boom, I had powers. Don't go asking other people about their triggers though, you hear?" I nodded. I knew all the ones that mattered anyway. Magic mental journal for the win! "I guess what I'm trying to say is… thank you."

"I don't follow."

"Thank you," he said again, "for having Crystal trigger." I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. "I know that wasn't your intention. God knows why you like horror movies, but the fact is that Crystal triggered from a scary movie as opposed to a life threatening event. She'll get over it, even if she whines about it now." He sent me a conspiratorial wink.

I snickered. "You know I'm going to hold that over her forever, right? Laserdream, the mighty Blaster of New Wave, afraid of ghosts."

"I'm sure you will, but you didn't hear it from me." We arrived at his car and he took out a band aid from the front compartment. "Hold still."

"Well, I didn't mean to get her to trigger, so I don't think I deserve any thanks." 'I wonder what her event would have been in canon,' I wondered. "Anyway, you're welcome. I wonder if I should poke Vicky into triggering too?"

"Carol will have your head," he warned.

I sighed in mock disappointment. "Yeah, true. Eric?"

"Don't even think about it. I have enough trouble keeping one flying kid on a leash," he laughed and patted me on the back. As casual as it was, I almost fell into the dirt from the strength.

By the time we made our way back to the fire, the sauce had gone a bit dry, but a quick splash of water fixed that. Dinner was a success and I got to learn a bit more about my friends. Amy, like Crystal, hated spicy food, the opposite of Eric. To be honest, I think he just ate the spicier version of my cajun wings so he could one up his "superhero" big sister. Hey, he's six; he's allowed to have his immature moments. It was pretty funny seeing him choke down the wings while tearing up though.

That night, we managed to convince the Dallon and Pelham adults to sleep in one tent while we got the bigger Dallon tent as a kiddie-fort. Carol wasn't exactly happy with it, but she still had no immunity to Vicky's weaponized cute. One round of batted lashes and pouty lips and that was that. We stayed up late playing uno and a handful of other card games. I tried to introduce poker to them, but no one was eager to memorize so many different hands. Eh, poker was pretty boring without anything to gamble anyway so I gave that up as lost cause.

One by one, the children fell asleep, first Amy, snuggled into Victoria's side, then her sister. Crystal and Eric seemed to have this weird competition to see who could stay up the latest, but Photon Mom eventually saw the lantern through our tent flap and put an end to that. I laid down with Eric between me and the girls and allowed myself to sink into the familiar pool of prana that was my mindscape.

X

"About time you got here." I waited for my eyes to adjust before looking around. The speaker wasn't anyone I'd met before. Braum had a voice that rumbled through the air. This one, his voice had a far more playful lilt.

I rubbed the spots from my vision and was greeted by a rather interesting scene. Wukong, for it could be no one else, lounged on his side atop the Lancer's throne. His staff was held in his tail, extended almost five meters from the ground. It waved lazily. Hung from its tip was Lulu's hat. About halfway down the middle, the yordle in question clung like a koala as she inched herself closer. In their own thrones, the rest of my Champions watched with a mix of exasperation and amusement.

I did a double take. 'How did I miss a golden angel the first time?' I wondered. Sure enough, atop the Ruler's throne sat the Judicator herself in all her golden splendor. Her snow white wings rustled teasingly, never touching the ground.

"Wukong," I greeted. "You're Lancer then. And Kayle is the Ruler. I guess that makes sense. I can't really think of many others who could fit that role."

She didn't visibly react, but I felt as though she took that as a compliment. The air, the light, it seemed to wrap around her person in a display that was simultaneously warm and judging. "Indeed. Greetings, our Master," she began. "We have much to speak of."

"Robin, please. I'm not arrogant enough to really believe I own any of you. And yes, we do." I took a seat. Lulu had made it three-fourths of the way up his staff. Wukong winked conspiratorially and suddenly, the space between the sorceress and her hat increased by yet another meter. "Do I want to know what's going on?"

"Ha, Lulu was bored so Wukong told her she'd get to dress him up if she could get the hat without flying. And no, we're not allowed to help her," explained Irelia. She was cradling a cup of some sort of floral tea, its scent wafting through our atrium.

"I see…" I glanced again at the pair. "At least they're getting along."

To my right, Kayle removed her helmet. She was, in a word, breathtaking. Yes, angels were often described as miraculous creatures, but no amount of art or poetry could capture a beauty that was literally divine. Her golden blonde hair rained down in a cascade around her armor, framing her face in a crown that no earthly metal could match. Her blue eyes shone like dazzling sapphires amidst her flawless skin. Her lips quirked into a knowing smirk. She had, without a doubt, caught me staring.

"I'm glad you approve of my countenance, Master, but I do believe we have more important matters to discuss than your preference in the female gender." Her voice was formal, the kind of tone that belonged in the White House. Even so, it was a pleasure to hear and I could imagine men falling over themselves to hear a single word more.

Only two seats to Kayle's right, Irelia dipped a dainty pinky into her tea and flicked the droplet at my face. The warm drop startled me back into focus. "S-Sorry, you're just… so much more beautiful than I could have imagined," I stammered, face burning red in embarrassment. This wasn't exactly the first impression I wanted to set.

"You're making a girl jealous, Robin," the Blade Dancer giggled before taking another sip of her tea. Somewhere along the way, a bowl of daifuku appeared in front of her.

"I'm just one big comedy skit to you, aren't I, Irelia?" I grumbled.

"Worry not, Robin. I have seen men react far more extremely to meeting me than you. It is of no concern, you will grow resistant to my divine aura soon enough," Kayle assured me. "Braum, due to numerous battles on the Rift, has a similar resistance."

"Glad to hear it. Drooling over you every time I come here would be bad. Say, Kayle?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you here?" I realized how that could have sounded and backtracked. "I mean, why are you out here now?"

"I have deemed your general physical training sufficient to add my own brand of instruction," she said simply. "Further, I have deemed your Origin one worthy of praise. As the Judicator, it was my responsibility to pass judgment, for good and for ill, upon mortals and angels alike. The first step to impartial judgment is an understanding of all who stood before me." I flipped through the journal to arrive at Kayle's Champion profile. Sure enough, True Name Discernment appeared prominently as an A rank skill. Revelation was also noticeable at a D rank. "As such, I shall teach and guide you, Master. Ours shall be the blade to strike down the wicked and deliver the righteous from despair."

"Awesome, is there any way for you to teach me magecraft? Lulu said she couldn't because humans weren't compatible with fae magic."

At the sound of her voice, the yordle turned to face us. She must have gotten distracted, because she lost her grip and fell to the floor. "Oh, yeah! I win!" Wukong crowed. He hoped onto his throne, did a dance, and then sat himself upside down with his staff tangled between his legs. Her hat floated down to rest on the table.

"No fair, Robin distracted me," Lulu whined.

"Too bad, you shouldn't have gotten distracted then."

"Meanie! Bleeggghh," she blew a raspberry in return.

Before the two could escalate, I walked over and picked her up. "Relax, Lulu, it's no big deal. Wukong, don't pick on her too much." I began to stroke her ears, something that had become almost reflexive at this point. On my way back to my seat, I grabbed the hat and put it on my own head.

Just then, Braum's door banged open and he lumbered out with a cask of what I assumed was Freljordian mead. "What'd I miss?"

"Good night to you too, Shielder," Irelia greeted calmly.

"Aye, I got a bit tangled up trying to see what I can think up in there," he waved to his chamber. "Found out I can think up some o' Gragas' old brew, eh?"

That was interesting. It seemed as though within their respective chambers, the Champions could bring out objects from their lifetimes, so long as they remembered them well. "Well, feel free to drink. I doubt anyone minds," I greeted then turned back to Kayle. "Anyway, about magecraft training. Is it possible?"

The angel hummed in contemplation. "Perhaps," she allowed, "but it is as the yordle said, Master. Just as humans are incompatible with fae sorcery, it is an extremely rare man who can wield the light of heaven."

I sagged forward. "So that's a no on the holy magic then."

"Do not be so sure, Master. While it is true that greater holy magics are too alien for you to grasp on your own power, you are forgetting one crucial truth: Tell me, what is ether?"

"Ether is the basic glue behind all magecraft."

"And what are gods and celestials made of?" she prodded.

On my lap, Lulu wriggled to position herself for easier petting. "Umm… True Ether? Isn't that the lifeblood of the planet or something?"

"An inadequate summary, but essentially true," she confirmed, "and it is incomprehensible to mortals. There are exceptions as with most rules, but those exceptions are so extraordinarily powerful for mortals that they can hardly be called mortals in the first place. However, it is more than the names that are comparable. With enough effort and given my presence here in your soul, you should be able to enact the lowest tiered mysteries of my people. Of course, that is if you are willing to undergo my training."

"Yes!" I shouted. There was no need to think about this. In another reality, mages would give their firstborn children for even a fragment of the knowledge Kayle was offering me, never mind an actual apprenticeship with the strongest angel of her era. I calmed down after a minute. "Wait, if the gods use True Ether, don't fairies do the same?"

"Yeah, but fae magic is naturally chaotic. Humans want to put order to chaos and our magic doesn't like that," Lulu added. "Even the nice fairies just want to have fun, but it's not very fun for the humans." She seemed dejected and I quickly remembered why. When she left the Glade to travel Runeterra, all she wanted to do was to share her enchantments with the world. No matter how friendly she was, she was "alien" at best and "dangerous" at worst. Rejected from every society, she spent her entire life as a pariah, knowing only the comfort of Pix's company.

I hugged her close and leaned forward just above her. "You're not alone anymore," I whispered to my first Champion. "You're not unwanted. I am _honored_ to have you at my side."

Beside us, Kayle smiled beautifully and offered the slightest nod of approval. "Cheh, angels and their superpowered senses," I grumbled without any heat.

"All Champions have superpowered senses compared to you," Wukong chuckled. "Come on now, first time meeting me and you're doting on the midget?" He ignored the subsequent raspberry in his direction. "Anything you want to say to me?"

"You okay, Lulu?" I asked gently. I could see Wukong's tail twitching. No matter how still the rest of him appeared, his tail betrayed his character. How Yi ever got him to meditate with him I'll never know.

She gave a hesitant nod, then another more resolute. "Uh-huh, but yeah. I can't teach you fae magic. Fae magic is never _learned_ , it's _felt._ The angel lady's magic… you might be able to learn some."

I ruffled her hair. "That's okay. It just gives me one more excuse to spend time with you." I faced all my Champions. "Everyone, thank you for joining me. Not just here, but _here_. In my life. Once again, please call me Robin. Seeing how I didn't really summon you, I'm not sure I can be called your Master. I'm still missing four, but I have a feeling that I'm going to have plenty to learn from just you all. I wanted to meet you all because you know all of my memories. You know that this world will end in less than ten years."

"That will not happen," Kayle bit out, her voice steady despite the righteous fury I could feel radiating off her. "A celestial who exists to take advantage of the weak? I will not suffer his life, Master!"

"Agreed. If nothing else, I'd like to live a nice, long life, thank you very much," I said dryly. "I take it you all feel the same?" Four more nods. "Good. That means I'm going to need even more training than I've been getting. A lot of this is about my own magical training, but if I can learn to use the staff or shield better, I should be better prepared even without relying on flashy spells."

"Didn't Irelia teach you her dances?" Wukong asked. "I could teach you Wuju, but I don't know how well it'll mix with her style."

"I'd still like to learn the basics," I told him. "If nothing else, it'd help me be more versatile in a fight, though i'm hoping to combine the two into a functional style unique to me at some point."

"Sure, but on one condition. I want to use your body too. It's pretty boring in here actually."

"I'll say the same thing I told Lulu," I said. "I don't mind if any of you want to see the real world for yourselves, but don't draw attention to yourselves. Don't use any skills beyond the human norm. And try to act as I normally do unless the situation calls for something else."

I received five nods around the table. That night, as I bid them goodbye and floated back to the real world, I heard a gentle whisper in the wind and a divine warmth suffuse me. The cut on my finger was miraculously gone when I awoke.

 **Omake: From the Journal of Robin Cardinal**

 _Name: Braum, the Heart of the Freljord_

 _Class: Shielder_

 _Affiliation: Freljord, Tribe Avarosa_

 _Alignment: Neutral/Good_

 _Personal Notes: The man known as Braum began his rise to Champion in a nondescript village by rescuing a troll boy from a mountain vault. Unable to break the vault door that Ornn, the demigod of the forge, fashioned, he punched through the entire mountain. Ever since, Braum wandered the Freljord with that door as his shield, never afraid to help others. He fended off raiders, armies, and even dragons with nothing but that shield by his side and tales of Braum's deeds became a natural part of Freljordian folklore. He finally swore fealty to Ashe, the leader of Tribe Avarosa, because he became charmed by her dreams of unifying the land. In the end, he is a man who saves and is perhaps best fitting of his title as "hero."_

 _Strength: A_

 _Endurance: A_

 _Agility: D_

 _Mana: D_

 _Luck: C_

 _Noble Phantasm: A_

 _Noble Phantasm 1: Vault of Ornn (A)_

 _Classification: Barrier_

 _Incantation: NA_

 _Description:_ _This is the vault door that Ornn made. It guarded some of Ornn's treasure and when Lissandra could not breach it, she cursed it. Braum accomplished all his feats with this shield and his legendary deeds have infused the shield with several conceptual traits. He fended off a dragon, giving it a dragon-slaying component, though admittedly it's more like dragon-warding. The shield has a piece of True Ice in it, courtesy of Lissandra, making it an ice elemental weapon. It also is extremely effective in destroying terrains, as per Braum's original legend of breaking a mountain to acquire it. It can expand to cover an area, shoot blasts of ice, or create the Glacial Fissure. In its expanded state, it can block any single attack, no matter how absurd. After, Braum takes forty percent less damage._

 _Skill 1: Self-Field Defense (A)_

 _Description: This is the class skill of Shielders. Any allies standing near Braum gains intuitive knowledge of how to best defend themselves as well as a noticeable increase in physical stamina and durability._

 _Skill 2: Magic Resistance (C)_

 _Description: As the Shielder, Braum has some limited defense against magic, though not much as his primary abilities are physical._

 _Skill 3: Protection from Arrows (A)_

 _Description: During his life, Braum defended himself and others from everything from dragonfire to arrows. There is little he fears from projectiles, especially now that his standard parameters were boosted upon his ascension to the Throne._

 _Skill 4: Guardian Knight (A)_

 _Description: Braum's legend as a protector is embodied in this skill. When he is defending another, in the singular moment he raises his shield, his Strength, Endurance, and Mana go up one rank, allowing him to weather blows that could collapse entire mountains._

 **Author's Note**

 **Wukong and Kayle: They are possibly the strongest Champions in Robin's arsenal, with perhaps the situational exception of Lulu. I imagine Kayle as a mix of Karna and Jeanne d'Arc, someone who is content to observe with a saintly personality, but is immensely powerful once provoked. Wukong is as he is depicted both in the game and in Journey to the West, a loud, confident, and selfish monkey who loves to fight. He is, as Yi says, "fast and dumb," but still a kind soul in the end.**

 **Braum's profile: When I first read his wiki, the most surprising thing I noticed wasn't that he could punch mountains, he does create an entire cavern of ice after all, but that Lissandra actually visited that mountain before Braum did and cursed the vault door to trap anyone who opened it. True, the wiki only mentions "the ice witch," and it could have been someone else, but given that it's her title, I'm willing to roll with this conclusion. It does explain why Braum, who has no magical training, can use ice magic so damn well.**

 **As for his skills, I hope those seem appropriate. I was tempted to include Mash's Transient Wall of Snowflakes, but decided against it in the end because that's kinda covered by the shield's expanded state. Guardian Knight is silly. He can take blows from Alexandria or Behemoth and laugh them off as long as he's defending someone else. It does fit his character to a tee though so I'm going to leave it.**

 **Champions**

 **Ruler: Kayle, the Judicator**

 **Shielder: Braum, the Heart of the Freljord**

 **Saber: Xan Irelia, the Blade Dancer**

 **Archer:**

 **Lancer: Wukong, the Monkey King**

 **Rider:**

 **Caster: Lulu, the Fae Enchantress**

 **Assassin:**

 **Berserker:**

 **If you would like more of this and other stories, please support my hobby on dot com slash Sorre.**


	4. Reborn 1-4

**Preface**

 **Day 4~~ This will be the last of this story for a while. As I said, the updates to this one will be more sporadic than myinstall other stories, but I'm by no means abandoning it.**

 **Reborn 1.4**

My new and improved training regimen began as soon as we got back from our camping trip. Let's face it. Without Install, I'm just a squishy seven year old. A squishy seven year old with impressive physical conditioning and training, but still just a kid in the end. In our little team, I was the weakest link end of story. The best way to remedy this?

Step one: Refine my physical body to the absolute peak of human ability. That meant that outside of school and occasional play with the kids, I was busy working out. It threw my parents for a massive loop and they tried to get me to stop out of worry, but seeing how I didn't need any tools to exercise, that was futile. I felt a little bad, but the thought of being unprepared for the shitshow Brockton Bay would turn into was just too much weight on my mind to stop.

Step two: Create a fighting style that surpasses human limits. I ended up with something that was a bastardization of Hiten-Ryu and Wuju. Wukong's variant of Wju was unpredictable, strong, direct, and focused, but also wasted a lot of movements to distract the opponent. It worked for him, but that wasn't something I could do because no matter how flexible I was for a human, I couldn't hold a candle to a Vastaya's natural grace. I also didn't have a fifth limb in the form of a tail or his decoys and Cloud Stepping Boots to help me out. From Wuju, I adopted the more direct attacks along with Wukong's staff skills, and patched up my lacking mobility with the more indirect style of the Hiten-Ryu. I ended up with a hybrid style that relied on Hiten-Ryu to move, dodge, parry, and bypass defenses while using Wuju's mastery of weapons and direct, focused blows to make each strike count.

At school, I quickly became known as that weird sissy that dances around everywhere, but that was fine. It wasn't as though some elementary age bullies could touch me anymore. No, what bothered me more was that Victoria wouldn't stop giggling at my dancing. Amy was happy enough to watch our antics but would occasionally throw raisins and peanuts from her lunchbox for me to catch in my mouth.

The staff arts? One of the old rakes dad kept in his shed may have gone missing. Someone may have cut off its head using magical swords. That someone may use it occasionally to twirl around like an idiot. But of course, this innocent, model son has no idea about any of that.

Step three of my training from hell: Magecraft. Kayle and Lulu were slave drivers. They insisted on directly overseeing my magecraft training. I know I should be happy, and I am, but sometimes, I think Kayle's just mad I took the staff over the sword. I explained that the staff is better for nonlethal takedowns and I'd use it more often as a result, but I think she still took it personally.

"No, of course not, Robin, I could never be so petty," she'd say, but then she'd say things like, "The only way you're getting to sleep tonight is when I beat you unconscious," when we spar. I'd never been more thankful that she couldn't manifest in the physical world until that moment...

If nothing else, those spars were an excellent reason to master Reinforcement like never before. I think I can justify giving myself an E rank in physical stats now, such was my enthusiasm for not getting my head caved in.

The other big improvement I made was that I finally learned another skill: Divine Blessing! I first accessed holy magic in August. According to Kayle, it was possible, if barely, for me because of my Origin. Holy magic had a little to do with Communion and I'd used that similarity to inch myself over the limit most mortals had.

Kayle called it a minor cantrip as far as holy magic went, but damn was I proud of myself. In League of Legends, it healed and made Champions faster. Her response? "It's basically Reinforcement used with a bit of holy magic." It may not have been a big deal to her, and admittedly the concept was fairly simple, but one cardinal rule kept mages from reinforcing each other mid combat: Living things were naturally resistant to magic. It wasn't a hard block like the Manton Limit was for many powers in this reality, but the truth was that the vast majority of mages affected nonliving things rather than their opponents directly. A water mage would create blades of water from the moisture in the air instead of turning their opponent's blood into a spike through their heart, things like that. In short, the body was a natural bounded field of sorts in which magecraft from outside the body became less effective. That was, after all, the principle behind Kiritsugu Emiya's Time Alter.

Holy magic turned that on its head though. Holy magic embodied the concept of _Correction_ , whether it be correcting the world to better support life or correcting a body to expel diseases. As such, it, by its very nature, was a magic that was meant to interact with life and bypassed pesky things like natural magic resistance. While I wouldn't be removing cancers or curing schizophrenics anytime soon, I could "correct and enhance" a body's natural function. I would practice by _correcting_ my body's fatigue, torn muscles, and scrapes from training.

I did find a hard limit fairly quickly when I was getting my ass handed to me by Wukong in a spar in my mindscape. I tried to reinforce Wukong's muscles to the explosion point, an intentionally fucked up Reinforcement, but couldn't insert even a drop of prana into his body. When I woke up from an up close and personal meeting with Doran's Staff, I asked Kayle. She said that holy magic couldn't really be used as a cheat like that unless i genuinely believed that Wukong's exploded muscles was "correct." I'd have to hypnotize myself into a delusional mockery of my own Origin. She also threatened to smite me if I bastardized her magic like that. I returned that I could use a new feather pillow. She lit my hair on fire. Some people just don't have a sense of humor...

X Year Seven, October X

Two days before Halloween, we were out for Amy's birthday dinner. When I first met Carol, I expected her to treat Amy like a pariah in her own home, as though she didn't exist. That just wasn't the case. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't about to win any mother of the year awards, but she wasn't overtly neglectful of her second daughter either, at least not to the extent that most fanfictions imply. Carol Dallon is a smart woman. She knows that the best way to keep Amy's heritage under wraps is to make sure that Victoria and Amy have no cause to wonder. She also knows that as a member of New Wave, her family is always being watched. It stands to reason then that the two would be treated equally, or at least equally in the public eye. I still haven't seen Carol hug the girl or even call her "daughter," but I'll take what I can get. That just meant I'd have to give her some extra hugs, not exactly a hardship.

'That's not how emotional attachment works, Robin,' Irelia pointed out. 'The poor dear really needs a mother figure who loves her for her.'

Amy had chosen a French-Italian restaurant, some sort of American fusion cuisine that was supposed to appeal to children. I didn't really know, but the Dallon sisters seemed thrilled so that was fine by me. 'True, but unless you know a way for me to change gender, age a few decades, and adopt her myself, this is the best I can do,' I thought back as I gave Amy a heartfelt hug. She was a bit young to really feel the difference in emotional investment that Carol had for her and her sister, but she wouldn't be a naive child forever and I wanted to provide her with a stable emotional support. Anything that kept her from being tempted by Jack Slash into being Bonesaw's big sister was a good thing in my book.

"Here," I handed Amy a gift box, glossy silver wrapped in a blue ribbon. "Happy birthday, Amy."

"Thanks, Robin," she said as she leaned in for another hug.

After the standard birthday greetings, we headed inside. We were the largest group in the restaurant by far, and I don't just mean Neil's towering bulk. To her credit, the hostess shook off her shock at meeting New Wave rather quickly and sat us at a pre-prepared table for twelve. The six adults sat on one end while us kids were relegated to the "kiddie corner."

"So, Ames, how was your birthday so far?" Crystal started.

"It was amazing! Mom and dad got me like six buckets of play-dough and made me swear not to eat them!" she gushed.

"Yeah, Amy tried to make a sculpture of me, but I think it looked like an elephant," her sister huffed.

"It wasn't that bad."

"Was too! You made my nose super long."

The two devolved into friendly bickering. Across the table, my eyes met my parents' and we collectively rolled our eyes in synchronized exasperation. Growing up twice really wasn't all it's cracked up to be in fanfictions. Sure, the chance to redo your life's mistakes was nice, but in most stories, authors just jumped ahead to "canon," whenever that may be. Living through the full experience was… boring.

'You are not alone, Robin,' I heard Irelia's cool voice wash over me.

In response, I sent a mental hug to all of them. 'Yeah, thank the Root for that. I really don't think I could bear it if I had to do this by myself. I'd probably strangle these kids within a year.'

'Aww, we love you too!' Lulu.

Any conversation stalled as the food arrived. The menu was a little complicated, especially since I didn't speak French, but I did understand some of the Italian section so I settled for a seafood alfredo. If the menu was complicated for me, it was downright illegible for my friends so they decided to get a pizza, one topping from each person with veto power going to the birthday girl. It honestly smelled pretty good, a nice mix of chicken, sausage, pepperoni, onions, and green peppers. The green peppers were an addition from the adults' table; kids did need their veggies after all.

"How's the pizza?" I asked.

"Good, how's the fishy white stuff?" Eric replied.

"Great, and it's called 'alfredo.'"

"But it's not pizza so it can't be as good as pizza."

I leaned over and plucked a sausage off his slice. Ignoring his squawk of indignation, I popped it into my mouth, giving it an exaggerated chew. "Hmm, decent flavor. Nice and savory. It sufficiently meets my elevated standards," I finished in a mock British accent.

He scowled and reached over to grab one of my shrimp. I expertly fended off his fingers with my fork. "En garde, ruffian!" He snatched a fork from a nearby table and an epic battle of skill and wit commenced to the amusement of the girls. "So begins this legendary duel. One man fighting against the odds to defend his shrimp," I narrated in my best Morgan Freeman impression.

Suddenly, we found our forks plucked from our hands. "Enough, boys. Settle down and eat your food."

"Alas, the omnipotent might of Photon Mom has rendered this duel inconclusive. We shall finish this later, knave." The girls weren't the only ones giggling now. Nearby tables that were watching us with amusement choked out a collective cough to hide their laughter. 'Holy shit, did I start that nickname?' It just came out because I was in the moment, but I realized, she probably didn't get her nickname until Crystal first started patrolling with her in canon. The public had no real reason to associate the hero, Lady Photon, with the mother, Sarah Pelham, otherwise.

Sarah Pelham _glowered_ and I felt myself die a little inside. She could tell too, that name was going to stick. I knew that even at her best, she'd never be strong enough to blast through the Vault of Ornn, Braum fended off fucking _dragons_ with that thing, but there was something unique about a mother's disappointed glare that made me want to surrender. "Photon Mom, am I?" she said, her voice saccharine, yet promising so much pain. "If that name sticks, you will _suffer_ ," she hissed and thrust the fork back to me. "Now, eat your shrimp, you cheeky bra-"

Anything else she was going to say was cut off by the sound of breaking glass. "EVERYBODY DOWN!" Two men rushed into the building. One had a hockey mask and SMG while the other wore a more standard black sweater sleeve stretched over his face. He waved two pistols wildly into the air and fired a few shots, their loud reports ringing in our ears. Hockey Mask was a bit smarter; his eyes wandered to our table and widened in surprise. His reaction was to reach over to the nice hostess from before and grab her in a chokehold, placing her before himself as a human shield.

'Not expecting New Wave then,' I heard Kayle mutter in my mind.

'Not an assassination attempt,' Irelia agreed. 'Unless things get desperate, I suggest we leave it to the adults.' I agreed, but prepared myself for Reinforcement anyway.

Hockey Mask smacked his partner. "Stop wasting bullets and grab a meat shield, you fucking idiot! New Wave!" he shouted.

Black Mask got the message and ducked behind the hostess' podium. "New Wave, fucking stand still! No one gets shot!"

"Get down," Sara hissed, the vaguely disapproving air of Photon Mom replaced in an instant by the calm, cool leader of New Wave. I immediately obeyed, shoving both Dallon girls out of their chairs and urging them under the table. On the other side of the table, my parents were doing the same for the Pelham kids. Crystal, despite her powers, froze.

'In the end, a nine year old is still a nine year old,' I mused before joining them.

Mark, Flashbang now, was kept from attacking for fear of hitting the crowd and Brandish and Lady Photon couldn't risk the hostage. Manpower took a step forward, but was a bullet fired into the floor only two inches away from a little boy convinced him to stay put.

"David, go get the bag filled up," Hockey Mask said to his partner. His partner put one gun into his pocket and took off his backpack, throwing it to the waiter.

'What a fucking idiot,' I groused. 'Either have a holster or don't have a gun.'

'Does his incompetence offend your sensibilities?' Lulu teased.

'As a matter of fact, yes. They're probably drunk or high.'

'Careful, irrational enemies present a different type of danger,' Irelia warned.

I took that under advisement. In the real world, Sarah Pelham stepped adjacent to Manpower. She would be able to shield us using her force field if need be. "Let's calm down," she said soothingly. I thought she sounded like a lion tamer trying to talk down his cat and Hockey Mask must have agreed because his only response was to scream obscenities and shove his SMG into the hostess' chest.

"Fuck you, bitch! Now shut up and give us our money!"

"Okay, now I _know_ they're drunk," I muttered to myself. "That David guy gave his bag to the waiter already. Merchants?"

"Shhh!"

Hockey Mask must have seen us behind Manpower's legs, because he laughed. "Hey, David, guess what? New Wave's here with their kids! They ain't going to do shit to us! Hurry up and let's bounce!"

"Fuck, we got lucky," David yelled back. The waiter came from the back of the store with the backpack not even half full. "What the fuck is this?" he demanded.

"S-Sir, we only keep the day's cash in the restaurant," he stammered. "E-Every night, the money is transferred off site."

"Oi, just loot the customers, you idiot. New Wave ain't shit right now," Hockey Mask drawled.

In a table adjacent from our own, I could see a twelve year old whimpering against her mom. Vicky beat me to it before I said anything. "Shhh, it's alright," she said, "Our parents are super strong. We'll be okay."

Meanwhile, David began to make his rounds, collecting jewelry, watches, and other small valuables. He apparently wasn't drunk enough to steal any electronics that could be tracked. Somehow, I had a feeling that the PRT was on their way anyway. This was the nicer part of town and they hadn't been watching the cooks so the call should have been made already. I heard more than saw David club a man with his pistol when he tried to resist.

Hockey Mask, feeling a little more confident now that he knew us children were hiding behind Manpower, swaggered forward, one arm still wrapped under the hostess' chin and into her throat. "This is awesome, we get one on New Wave and we ain't even capes!"

When he'd made it about a third of the way towards us, Manpower _moved_. His power was loosely described as Brute strength thanks to electromagnetic force fields. I knew from canon that he could charge his fists with electricity or release his force field for decent burst. The general understanding was that he used that burst to take chunks out of more durable opponents. Everyone, me included, forgot that he could control the direction his field exploded in. He shot himself forward in a blast of concussive and electric energy, his wife's shield protecting us behind him thanks to some unseen communication. He wasn't like Battery or Velocity. They had true control over their movements. Him? He used his lost force field like a rocket. As he flew by Hockey Mask, I saw him reach out and grab the hand that held the gun, the motion alone twisting and bending his arm.

If I hadn't been reinforcing my eyes, preparing to dodge bullets, I wouldn't have seen the motion. No one else saw it either. All anybody knew was that there was an explosion on our end and suddenly, Manpower stood behind Hockey Mask with one foot braced against the far wall. A series of sickening pops filled the air and in that same instant, the gun was no longer pointed towards the hostess.

"Carl!" David called.

'Huh, nice to have a name to the stupid,' I mused.

Lady Photon, knowing what her husband could do, fired a bolt of light, this time hitting David's hand and sending his pistol clattering to the floor. She walked confidently forward. David tried to reach for the gun in his pocket, but a hard-light dagger flying inches from his fingers courtesy of Brandish convinced him otherwise.

"Now, gentlemen," Lady Photon began. "Let's calm down and take a seat. I'm sure the good policemen would be happy to greet you." In seconds, she'd already removed all his weapons and sat him on the floor. No handcuffs, but then again, she hadn't expected to have to act as a hero tonight.

"Let's not," I heard another voice behind me. I whirled around, my foot lashing out to catch someone on the shin. "Fuck!" he swore. The man was relatively short and had a black sleeve stretched over his face like David. While I wasn't paying attention, he'd dragged Crystal out from under the table and placed a ceramic pistol to her head. He stepped back and addressed New Wave. "Sit quiet and your daughter goes free, Mrs. Pelham. Or Dallon. Whichever one this is."

I looked up into his eyes. 'Pupils, normal. Breathing, normal. Speech, not slurred. Not drunk then. Shit…'

He was still talking. "You chucklefucks somehow managed to fuck up a restaurant robbery," he said. "It was supposed to be easy. Get in. Get out. No capes. No stress."

"Not our fault, Kevin," Carl grunted as he cradled his broken arm. He stilled when he felt Manpower's weighty hand settle on his shoulder.

"Well, _Kevin_ ," Manpower began, his normal joviality absent from his voice. "That is my daughter you have there. This is your friend I've got here. Let's let both walk, hmm?"

The final robber chuckled. "Yeah, right. You know, I was just the driver here. They were supposed to hit this place and I was supposed to drive them out before you capes could arrive. Now that you're here, I know there's no way in hell we're going to outrun you. You're going to chase us as soon as you get your daughter back and last I checked, my little posse don't got wings."

"You have my wor-"

"Your word don't mean shit, _hero_. So here's how it's going to be. We're going to leave with this little lady. Then, somewhere along the way, we're going to let her go once we're sure you're not chasing us."

'Robin, what will you do?' Irelia.

'Use me,' Kayle urged, 'Allow me to smite these swine who would hide behind children.'

'Whatever you do, my blade is yours.'

'He'd look great as a squirrel.'

'A shield to protect…'

'Let's show them true power…'

'I… I wanted to wait to out ourselves until we could meet the rest… If we move now, we won't be able to hide behind a mask,' I warned. I hesitated. 'She has a shield…'

'Our peace of mind or your friend's life?' Irelia asked. 'How sure are you that she has the awareness to make a shield? Or that she can stop a bullet to her head at her age?'

Once she put it like that, there was no question. Slowly, I moved. I must have caught his eye because Kevin sneered down at me, the knitted fabric only just keeping his identity hidden. Behind me, I felt my mom try to hold me still, but I shook her off. I met Crystal's terrified gaze and offered her what I hoped was a comforting smile. 'Don't worry,' I made an unspoken promise, 'You're going to be fine.' Kevin switched his focus back to the more obvious threats in the room. 'Idiot.'

'No blades, nonlethal,' I thought and cast aside the Ruler and Saber templates. 'He already has her, no use in a shield.' Shielder stepped aside. 'Caster… he's too close… only one option…'

In once smooth motion, I rose to one knee, my left hand outstretched while my right bent over my hip, palm facing up. "Install: Lancer!" I shouted as I stood. The palm bent over my waist rose up in a corkscrew motion as if lifting something, with far more speed and force than a child should be able to muster. My left hand, placed with the space between my index finger and thumb peering towards his gun, acted as the guide. Behind me, the children gasped. They had seen me perform this a hundred times, a single step in the nameless dance that was more than a dance.

Even as I rose, Doran's Staff answered my call. Pauldrons of crimson spun into being over my shoulders. My wrists were reinforced by massive cylindrical weights of gold and red. A scarf the shade of blood flowed out behind me and tiled armor covered me. Red warpaint framed my eyes even as they turned a jade green alight with fury. Fangs lengthened, giving me a feral snarl. Behind me, a prehensile tail waved in agitation.

The staff extended straight through the path I'd set for it and Noble Phantasm met ceramic pistol. There was no contest; the pistol shattered into a million pieces even as Kevin flinched back in surprise and pain. Before anyone could react, faster than most could even see, I had repositioned myself, spinning while bringing the staff behind me in a complex spiral. There was no room for such a sweeping gesture, but Doran's Staff was long one moment, and just a hair's breadth short enough the next. An instant later, its metal studded tip was sailing towards the robber's temple.

'Ribs!' Irelia shouted.

Countless hours spent under her tutelage weighed upon my mind. Reflexively, I switched targets to heed her order. Crystal was tossed to the ground by the force of my swing. The power of an ancient Champion met the fragile ribcage of an everyday robber with only a leather jacket to protect him. Bones snapped as he was launched like a missile into the wall. He didn't even have time to scream before he hit the wall with a sickening snap. 'Th-That would have killed…'

'Indeed. You have grown far stronger than thrash such as these, Robin. You did not notice with only us as your sparring partners, but unless you wish to kill, you must learn to control yourself.'

'Thanks for stopping me. I could have pawned it off as a trigger event, but I don't want that on my conscience.'

Irelia received the thanks with a mental nod. 'See to your friend, she is in shock.'

'Shit.' I turned to find Crystal staring at me, a mix of awe and a bit of fear in her eyes. "Crystal, you okay?" I wrapped her up in a hug. That opened the floodgates. Even as she sobbed into my armor, I saw Lady Photon, Sarah now, fly over. Brandish and Flashbang moved to secure the robbers.

"Crystal, sweetie, look at me," Sarah pleaded.

I let go, nudging the crying girl into her mother's arms. "Go, be brave," I told her, "Your mom needs to know you're safe."

I had no idea how to deal with a crying Crystal. I was told that the best way to get a soldier to fire in war is to convince him that he is fighting to protect his brothers in arms. I had no idea if switching Crystal's focus from her to her mom was the right thing to do, but that was all I had to go on. I wasn't Robin Cardinal at the moment. I was Wukong, the Monkey King and later, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. I wanted to fight; my blood boiled in anticipation. My spirit cried out at the pathetic showing my opponent offered me. I turned my gaze to the other two robbers.

ROBIN!' Kayle's shout struck me from my inner voice. 'Calm yourself. This is the first time you have seen combat. You've acquitted yourself well, now return, as you were. Do not chase down a defeated foe.'

I nodded shakily. "Dispel: Lancer," I whispered. My new armor vanished in motes of scarlet light.

That must have drawn Sarah's attention to me, because before I could react, she had me in an ironclad embrace, muttering, "Thankyouthankyouthankyou," into my hair. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my parents, expressions frozen in a mix of shock, worry, and pride.

X

The PRT came. While not a "cape crime," capes were most certainly involved in the response. The moment one of the officers called about a new trigger, they had a hero of their own zipping to greet me. Robin Swoyer, or Velocity, was there in under a minute.

"Hello, son, a mighty fine thing you did there," he began. He was friendly enough.

"Hello." I kept my tone neutral. No need to antagonize them quite yet.

"W-What's going to happen to my son?" My mom asked, voice trembling from the experience.

To his credit, Velocity didn't try to scare my mom will wildly inappropriate statistics. "Well, ma'am, your son has a few options." He looked over to the robber called Kevin and let out a low whistle. "Normally, that would warrant at least an assault char-"

"Don't you start, Velocity," Carol Dallon hissed. Fuck yeah, my friend's mom is a lawyer. "He is a minor. This is a clear cut case of self defense and defense of another. _My niece!_ Even if none of that applied, he just triggered."

Velocity quickly raised his hands, palms out in surrender. "Woah, Brandish, I know. I said 'normally.' No one's going to be blaming the little guy over this, especially not me. Look, son," he turned to me, "what's your name?"

"Robin Cardinal."

He flinched a little in surprise. He's good at hiding his reactions, military training no doubt, but he doesn't have the benefit of multiple legendary heroes to provide commentary. "You've done a good thing today. You do have a place in the Wa-"

"New Wave," Sarah cut in. "I think he's more than earned his place with us." Her tone was firm, but icy. I almost felt bad for Velocity. I had no doubt that he was required to give the Wards sell to every new cape he met and he was being shut down before he could even get a sentence in.

Before this could go any further, I decided to stop the shenanigans. "Actually, I'm just not going to use my powers in public one way or the other," I said casually. Everyone stared at me. Powers were meant to be used. Society said so. Heroes said so. Villains said so. _The Shards said so._ It was almost unheard of for a cape to simply not use his powers, especially not someone who's obviously a Brute like me. "What? I'm not ready," I admitted easily. "I'm just seven right now. When I get older, I'm sure that'll change, but not now."

Velocity was the first to recover. I suspected personal time altering hijinks. "You are a remarkably mature young man, Robin. Would you like to come for a power testing session? No obligation to join the Wards of course," he said hastily upon seeing New Wave's glare.

I shrugged. "Nah, I know what I can do, thanks. It's a part of my powers." 'There, that'll get them to assign me a combat-Thinker rating.'

'Why do you hide?' Braum asked. 'You should let our strength be known to the world. Let the bad guys fear our name.'

'Coil,' I countered easily. 'He's the kind of opponent I need Assassin for. At minimum. Besides, if we're going to join a team, I want us to all have a say in it.'

In the real world, I said again. "I'm not joining anyone right now. I'm not going to be running around as an independent hero either, so you can stop worrying, mom, dad." My response set my parents at ease and they relaxed visibly.

"In that case, can i have a demonstration of your power for the record?" Velocity tried one last time. "Nothing flashy, just here."

"Nope," I said, popping the word like bubble gum. "As far as anyone's concerned, I'm just a normal, snot-nosed seven year old."

The rest of the night passed quickly. There was no way the PRT was going to push with all of New Wave backing me. All things considered, I still wished I could have kept my powers under wraps for a while, but this wasn't the worst way to out myself. Securing the Pelhams' undying loyalty wasn't exactly a small matter after all.

X

"So… you're a cape, son," dad began.

"Yup." I looked to be cleaning my nails. "I don't know why you're all so hung up about this. I have powers."

My dad sighed. It was the universal sigh that all parents developed at one point in their lives or another. It was the "Why did you put gum in your hair?" sigh, the "I have no idea what to do with you. You're going to make me an alcoholic," sigh. "Fine… you have powers. What are they?"

"You want the long version or the short version, pops?"

"Honey, this isn't the time for games," my mom began.

"Maybe not, but for me, this feels _right_. I know everything about my powers and how to improve on them. It may seem strange to you, but for me, this is normal."

My parents decided to humor me. "What's the short version?"

"I'm a Trump. I can fit into every power classification the PRT has except Tinker, as far as I know. Don't brag about that please," I warned. "I don't think you're stupid, but I triggered in a very public place with a crowd of very public people. The PRT is probably going to say that New Wave stopped them, but news gets around and the Pelhams and Dallons are really close to only one non-cape household. If you brag that your son's this crazy strong Trump, you're going to wake up in a closed cell with more 'enhanced interrogation' experts watching you than in Guantanamo."

"I… understand." My dad sighed for what seemed like the millionth time. "The long version, please…"

"Can that wait? I'd like to only explain this once…"

X

Emily Piggot was new. She'd only become director of the PRT East-Northeast branch last month. She was, physically, as recovered as she was going to get from an injury like Ellisburg, but she sure as hell didn't feel fine. She could feel a killer migraine building up. Beside her, Armsmaster and Miss Militia sat, representing the most senior members of the Protectorate. Further down the conference room, Dauntless, current leader of the Wards, fidgeted awkwardly.

"Report, Velocity!" she barked. She may have a killer headache, but she could take some comfort in passing it on to everyone else.

Velocity snapped off a military salute. "Ma'am, I responded to a trigger event at Beaumont & Perducci's Restaurant. It turns out that the Dallons, Pelhams, and Cardinals, family friends, were celebrating Amy Dallon's seventh birthday. The place was robbed, but the robbers didn't take into account New Wave. In the spur of the moment, one of them took Crystal Pelham hostage."

"Holy shit," Dauntless breathed, "please tell me they're alive." A sharp look from Armsmaster was enough to quiet him.

"No one died," Velocity confirmed. "Robin Cardinal, the son, triggered. He seems to have a Brute power, strong enough to crush ribs. I also received some witness testimony of him conjuring a staff or armor of some sort."

"And your analysis?"

"Quiet kid, bright. He decided to keep himself out of the cape scene for a few years."

"You didn't push for the Wards?"

Velocity shook his head. "Ma'am, there was no way he was going to join the Wards. He triggered to save Crystal Pelham and the Cardinals already have a good relationship with New Wave. If that doesn't get him an instant invite, I don't know what would. His public identity is also out; I doubt there's anything we can do to keep that under wraps."

"He wants to stay off the radar," Piggot mused, "A sensible cape for once?"

"He's also likely a minor Thinker."

"Oh?"

Velocity rubbed his head. "Yeah, he said he knew exactly how his powers worked. Given that he can magically drum up a staff, I'm thinking his power comes with an instruction manual, some sort of martial art?"

"We'll keep his file internally," Piggot decided. "Respect his wishes. If the Wards see him on patrol, only approach if he's in costume. If not, stay away. As far as the media knows, New Wave stepped in, not him. I expect a more in-depth report on my desk tomorrow morning. Dismissed."

X

The day after, my house was packed with the whole New Wave clan, the ones with children anyway. Vicky rushed me as soon as I opened the door. "Ohmygodyou'reacape!Youcanbeaherolikemomanddadanduncleandauntie!" I laughed as I took her flying tackle-hug.

"Good morning, Victoria. Amy," I nodded to her sister. She seemed oddly shy now.

'She doesn't know how to deal with you,' Irelia advised, 'Her friend is now a hero.'

'That's silly,' Lulu muttered, 'There's no reason for her to feel weird.'

'People are silly,' Irelia agreed sagely, 'children even more so.'

I decided to nip that in the bud. Letting go of Victoria, I gently pushed her away before clasping both hands on Amy's shoulders. "Look at me, Amy." She met my eyes a little uneasily. "You. Are. My. Friend. You. Are. My. Friend. You. Are. My. Friend." I repeated thrice for good measure. "I have powers. That's not going to change our relationship, okay?" Slowly, she gave an uncertain smile, then leaned in for a hug I happily returned. I ruffled her hair just as I saw the Pelhams arrive. "That goes for you too, Vicky."

After a similar round of greetings, we were squished into our living room, all eyes on me.

'How much to say…'

'I recommend most of the basics. I do not feel comfortable hiding,' Irelia advised.

After a brief internal debate, I decided to roll with her suggestion. "Listen, because I'm only going to say this once. I have nine different sets of powers. In other words, I'm a Trump who can have a ton of other powers as I need them. These powers are in the form of spirits called Ruler, Shielder, Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. What you saw was me using Lancer's powers. Now, ask away." I spread my arms and the floodgates swung open.

My dad was first. "Assassin?" He seemed worried.

"It's what I'm calling it," I shrugged, pulling shit out of my ass so fast Tattletale would be jealous. "I'm ripping off the stereotypical RPG tropes. In video games, 'assassin' is just the name of the class. While assassination missions do come up in games sometimes, it's more generically used to refer to a character who has a ton of attack power, is fast, and excels at stealth, but has very low health points. The name fits the bill."

My mom this time. "I wish you'd call it something else… "

"Nope. That's what my power calls it so that's what I'm calling it."

She wanted to argue, but didn't push. The adage "Powers are bullshit," rang true. "Then, what can you do as Lancer?"

I shrugged. "Basically? The Lancer lets me become a master of the staff. And there it is, not every name fits the model perfectly. Assassin doesn't have to necessarily be used to kill, that's on me. Anyway, Lancer uses a staff."

"You had a tail," Eric blurted out. The kid was bouncing from excitement.

I laughed uneasily. "Heh, yeah, I guess. I'm like a monkey when I use the Lancer class."

"Cool!"

"Can we see?"

Three pairs of childish innocence looked at me, daring me to deprive them of this experience. I sighed. 'You're a sucker for children, aren't'cha, lad?' Braum chuckled, his laughter rumbling throughout my mind.

'Shut up,' I thought half-heartedly. Out loud, I nodded. "Include: Lancer." This time, instead of a full transformation, I only got Wukong's staff. Shrinking it down to the size of a yardstick, I passed it around.

Vicky eagerly grasped the ornate rod. She then immediately sank back down from the weight. "Oof, this is super heavy," she complained.

"This is called Doran's Staff. It's a magic staff that extends or shrinks as I want it to." She passed the weapon around, Neil holding it like a candle. "Its weight changes with its size and as far as I know, it's basically indestructible. When I become Lancer, I gain knowledge of martial arts and a few other things. It's basically like becoming a different character in a story." I waved my hand and the staff suddenly grew to half the length of the living room. Even Neil's steady hands dipped with the weight.

Sarah reached over and I shrank it down. "Are you strong enough to wield it when it's that long?" Neil asked. "That had to be a few hundred pounds."

I nodded. "I have two states, Install and Include. Install is more draining on me, but I can manifest the full armor and all my abilities are boosted drastically. Include just gives me the staff and a smaller boost." I decided to keep Wukong's decoys and cloud stepping as a surprise. "When I Include, there's a limit to how heavy I can make the staff without dropping it or breaking my own hands, but when I Install, I'm strong enough to wield it even at its max length."

"And what is your max length?" Mark.

"Line of sight," I said. "It'd probably be several tons at minimum, but I know I can still lift it. It'd be super unwieldy though. I can't exactly practice techniques with something as long as several city blocks."

The adults whistled. "That's got to be high tier Brute at least. Decent Changer, and probably Mover. Combat-Thinker too. That's quite a list for only one-ninth of your power, kiddo," dad said.

"Have you decided on a name for yourself?" Carol asked. "Image is very important for a hero."

I shrugged. "I'll decide when I first step out. For now, there's no rush."

"What about Son Goku?" Amy asked.

"You've been watching Aleph cartoons, huh?" I teased knowingly. At the adults' confusion, I clarified. "Son Goku is a monkey hero from a cartoon called Dragon Ball. He's based off an old Chinese epic actually and used a staff just like mine."

"Don't you also have a tail?" Crystal wondered. "I thought I saw something behind you."

"Only when I Install. And I'm not going with Goku because I have eight other classes to consider."

"Ooh, can we see those?" Eric burst out.

"Nope, I'm going to hold those as a surprise." No matter how much they begged, I stayed mum.

 **Omake: From the Journal of Robin Cardinal**

 _Name: Wukong, the Monkey King, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven_

 _Class: Lancer_

 _Affiliation: Ionia, Tribe Shimon_

 _Alignment: Chaotic/Good_

 _Personal Notes: At first, Wukong was nothing more than a boisterous youth eager for adventure and a chance to prove himself. His energy and enthusiasm was curbed and refined under Yi's tutelage and together, master and disciple played pivotal roles in driving back Noxus from Ionia's shores. After the war, Wukong traveled Runeterra, delighting in new sights, experiences, and of course, strong opponents. By the end of his life, his accumulated wisdom, skill, and strength earned him the title, "Great Sage Equal to Heaven." No matter his age or number of accolades, Yi would call him his "fast and dumb" disciple, a gluttonous, impulsive prankster with too much energy for anyone's good._

 _Strength: B+_

 _Endurance: A_

 _Agility: A_

 _Mana: C_

 _Luck: B_

 _Noble Phantasm: B_

 _Noble Phantasm 1: Doran's Staff (B)_

 _Classification: Anti-Unit/Anti-Army_

 _Incantation: NA_

 _Description:_ _His teacher, Master Yi, gave him this enchanted staff as a graduation gift of sorts. It is unbreakable, and can extend as far as the wielder can see. Its weight has been compared to a bar of solid lead, but that weight too is flexible, increasing proportionately with its size so that only someone with immense strength and dexterity like Wukong can wield it with any true mastery. This flexibility makes it both an anti-unit and an anti-army weapon, capable of nonlethal takedowns of single enemies to sweeping entire platoons aside with the weight of skyscrapers._

 _Noble Phantasm 2: Cloud Stepping Boots (D)_

 _Classification: Anti-Unit/Self_

 _Incantation: NA_

 _Description:_ _During the Ionian Occupation, Noxian soldiers would often look to the sky. When asked, they would always reply, "We're looking for a monkey." It made no sense to anyone, until they'd see Wukong run around on clouds to club them all senseless. His boots were treasures of the Shimon Tribe of Vastaya and enchanted to allow him to run on air for a short period of time._

 _Noble Phantasm 3: Trickster's Alibi (C)_

 _Classification: Anti-Unit/Self_

 _Incantation: NA_

 _Description: This Noble Phantasm is a mental state of being as much as it is a skill. Using a mix of ki manipulation taught to him in the form of Wuju and the inherent talents of the Shimon Vastaya,_ _Wukong can make up to three copies of himself. They last for a short while and can interact with the world._

 _Skill 1: Stone Skin (B)_

 _Description: Wukong's skin is naturally resistant to physical and magical attacks due to his Vastayan heritage. His love of combat is so great that it affects his physical body as well, making him more durable when outnumbered._

 _Skill 2: Wuju (A)_

 _Description: Short of Master Yi himself, Wukong is the greatest user of the ancient Ionian martial art in memory. Whereas Yi is composed and patient, Wukong is the exact opposite and mastered the subset of Wuju that surges like a tempest, bringing down opponents with relentless force and unpredictable techniques._

 _Skill 3: Battle Continuation (C)_

 _Description: Shimon Vastaya are naturally resilient, but Wukong's own durability goes beyond that of mere biology. If pressed, he can ignore things like pain or debilitating injuries by strength of will alone._

 _Skill 4: Eye of the Mind, True (A)_

 _Description: Wukong spent years training against the best swordsman Ionia had ever seen, helped to hand Noxus its collective ass, then traveled the world for decades for no other reason than "I like to fight." His accumulated experience resulted in a sixth sense for danger._

 _Skill 5: Instinct (A)_

 _Description: All Vastaya have great instincts. It's just, unlike most, Wukong has had the opportunity to hone these instincts to near godly levels of refinement. At the end of his life, he was called "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" for good reason._

 **Author's Note**

 **Yeah, Robin "triggered." He planned to have all his Champions before entering the cape scene, but guess what? He's not Contessa. He doesn't get to curbstomp fate into submission. Also, Ellisburg happened in February, 2001. I'm going to assume that Piggott was appointed director in September after months of recovery.**

 **I'm only releasing one of these omakes at a time because it's fun teasing you guys. Most of you have responded positively to the ranks and skills so thank you for that. Wukong is probably the most typical Servant so far. Although all of the Champions shown are powerful in their own way, Wukong's strength is the easiest to apply to direct combat and that stems from his straightforward personality. He likes to fight, plain and simple. His Noble Phantasms are a bit strange, but I tried to incorporate bits of the legend from Journey to the West as well as the skills he has in-game. Nimbus Strike for example originates from the Journey to the West, where he is gifted the Cloud-Stepping Boots from one of the dragon kings. In the Runeterra version, there is obviously no dragon king, so I made the boots a treasure of the Shimon tribe instead. Stone Skin, his in-game passive, include the Lancer class' Magic Resistance as a folded in skill.**

 **Champions**

 **Ruler: Kayle, the Judicator**

 **Shielder: Braum, the Heart of the Freljord**

 **Saber: Xan Irelia, the Blade Dancer**

 **Archer:**

 **Lancer: Wukong, the Monkey King**

 **Rider:**

 **Caster: Lulu, the Fae Enchantress**

 **Assassin:**

 **Berserker:**

 **If you would like more of this and other stories, please support my hobby on Pat reon dot com slash Sorre.**


	5. Reborn 1-5

**Preface**

 **Good afternoon everyone, Sorre here. This is a short chapter, and the longest I've ever gone without updating. On the bright side, I graduated. I am now a Master of International Security. On the down side, I'll be joining the unemployment line come June…**

 **Anyway, that's my excuse for the belated update and short chapter. My parents were in town and I had to host them for a few days which cut into my normal writing time. Also, if you are gracious enough to support my work, please find me on Pat Reon dot com slash Sorre.**

 **Reborn 1.5**

One week after my "trigger," I stood before Assassin's door. Between Archer, Rider, Assassin, and Berserker, I thought about the most immediate vulnerabilities in my arsenal. I had range in the form of Lulu and Kayle, though something less costly than magecraft and less destructive than Kayle's divine wrath would be nice. Riders were known for their powerful Noble Phantasms, but I had powerful Noble Phantasms already. Until Leviathan, or perhaps unless I fought Lung after he had a while to ramp up, I didn't see myself needing something else. That left Berserker and Assassin. Berserker's role of "giant rage-monster that eats Lung for breakfast" wasn't really necessary at the moment. I had Braum for strength, Irelia for skill, and Wukong as a nice blend of the two. And Kayle… can do whatever the fuck she pleases because she's an archangel...

No, I was missing effective stealth techniques and it was time to face the music. I knocked. Once. Twice. Three times. Slowly, the door creaked open, a gaping maw that beckoned me into the darkness.

X

I don't know what I was expecting. Of course the personal Throne of the Assassin is dark and gloomy. When i first entered Braum's Throne, he showed me a glimpse of his past so I expected something similar. Instead of a mountainside village in the frozen north, I found myself in a dark, damp cave. The air was rank with the smell of desiccated remains and stale from lack of flow. Violet crystals dotted the walls, sending eerie shadows dancing across the cavern floor.

My breath caught in the back of my throat. In Runeterra, the color purple was, with but a few exceptions, associated with the terrors of the Void. Even as I stepped forward, I prayed and begged that I was wrong. No one sane wanted to fuck with the Void and of its many terrors, only two could claim to qualify as "Servants of Murder." Only one of them spent enough time in an underground cavern to use that as their memory. "Kai'Sa," I breathed.

I walked on for almost ten minutes. Just when I was growing accustomed to the lack of fresh air or light, I tripped over something. I looked down and saw a corpse of some sort of purple creature, somewhere between a crab, spider, and scorpion. Its violet exoskeleton blended well with the crystals' shine.

"Holy fuck!" I shrieked and cursed like a tortured sailor, scrambling on my hands and knees to get away from the voidling. Its head, caved in from some sort of blunt trauma, tilted my way; its unseeing eyes staring into me even as violet blood ran slick over its body. It was missing several of its multiple legs. Listening closely, I could hear the sound of something gnawing.

Slowly, ignoring the distinct wetness between my legs, I quelled my throbbing heart and looked around more closely. In one corner, a nook shadowed by an array of stalagmites, was a naked girl of fifteen. Kaisa, or Kai'Sa as she called herself, reminded me more of Gollum than a teenage girl. Her black hair was filthy and clung in tangled clumps against her scalp. Even in the dark cave, I could see that it ran far too long, frizzled and hanging all the way down to her ankles. Her void carapace, the living symbiote that she had long since assimilated, clung to her like a skin tight bodysuit. It might have been sensual if she wasn't caked in grime, blood, sweat, and what I assumed were the dried entrails of her past kills. On each shoulders, grotesque growths that reminded me of the bastardized wings of butterflies shone with a sinister light. She was using a pointed rock, a broken end of a stalagmite, to crack open the voidling's limbs like a crab leg.

" **Meat, meat,"** she called, " **We need more meat!"** She swung down with the wider end of the stone, crushing one tip of the leg. After several sloppy strikes against the ground, her swing met its target and the voidling carapace snapped with an audible crack. "I wish I had some fruit…" came her voice again, this time without the rumbling of some distant predator, the echo of her parasitic voidling. " **Nonsense, host-friend,"** she giggled incoherently, " **There is nothing better than meat!"**

She tossed aside the stone, her grasping fingers prying the shattered carapace apart. She brought the jagged end to her mouth, drinking in the vile blood. In her rush, she brought it towards her face too quickly. "Ah! I cut myself," she moaned. " **Meat! Meat! We hunger host-friend!"**

I was never sure about just how much I could interact with the memories of my Champions. In Braum's Throne, I felt the cold, yet couldn't touch a single villager. In here, I saw the purple light and tripped over the voidling carcass. I was terrified. In her addled state, if Kai'Sa could see me, would she eat me? Even so, I crept closer, my eyes never wavering from the form of the insane girl before me. I had an obligation to see, to _understand_.

"It's bitter," Kai'Sa complained, tossing the broken leg aside. Her other arm twitched involuntarily and grabbed the leg out of the air. " **It's meat."**

I watched, dumbstruck, as the adolescent girl argued with herself, her human side repulsed at what she had become while her symbiote shoved more and more of the voidling's carcass down her throat. So distracted was I that I was unable to stop myself. I leaned too heavily against the wall and dislodged a single pebble. It ran down the sloping side of the cave onto the floor, painfully loud in the otherwise eerily silent cave.

"What was that?" " **More food, host-friend~"** "No, we've had enoug-" " **Never enough!"** Kai'Sa snarled like a wild animal, whipping her head towards the noise, towards me. I couldn't tell which of her was making that face, or even who she was snarling at. I met her eyes and saw the recognition in them. She could see me. My heart fell into my stomach and I found myself praying, not for the first time tonight, that she was the one in control.

She leapt towards me, her armored hands stretching forward with wicked claws. Here, in my mind, I wore the body of a man in my twenties, the man I identified with and not the child I was in reality. Kai'Sa, if I remembered right, entered the Void when she was ten. She couldn't have been older than fifteen. Years of inconsistent meals rendered her an emaciated slip of a girl, but that didn't stop her from bringing me down with a single swipe. She mounted me. I stared into her eyes, hunger and joy warring with one another.

"Kaisa," I said softly, purposely using her name before the Void. "Please," I croaked out, "You need to get control."

She swung, her taloned hands glistening with the blood of her previous prey. Just a hairsbreadth from my throat, she stopped. I could see her arm shaking as she struggled to contain the voidling inside. "No! He's not food!" " **Everything is food!"** She jerked away. "Not this one!" " **Yes this one!"**

"Kaisa! Listen to me! You are not a mindless predator," I shouted up at her, more frantic now. "You are the daughter of Kassadin!"

"Yes," she whispered. " **No, we are Kai'Sa, Daughter of the Void!"** "But I was Kaisa…"

Using her internal dialogue as a distraction, I squirmed my arms free. I reached for her and she lashed out, claws gouging into even my reinforced limbs. I winced but pressed forward, catching her hands in mine. The difference between a Heroic Spirit and amateur magus was made abundantly clear in that moment. Whether it had something to do with this being her Throne or the mana-rich world that made up Runeterra, she pressed me down with no effort. She leaned towards me, her face inches from my own. 'She'd be beautiful if she cleaned up,' I found myself thinking. It's funny the thoughts that run through your head as you're about to die.

"Do you mean it?" she whispered.

"... I said that out loud…"

" **Yes, meat-thing stupid. Host-friend should eat."**

I reached up, my hands wrapping around her even as her sharp nails dug into my side. I ignored the implicit threat of disembowelment and brought her in close. "Kaisa. Kai'Sa. Whatever you go by. You don't have to live like this."

"I do."

"You can make your way up, back to the surface. You can see people again. The sky. Trees. That's all waiting for you." 'I know, you've done it before,' went unsaid.

" **They will shun us. Hate us. Kill us."** She leaned into the hug even as she uttered those words, the symbiote speaking for both of them.

"Maybe, but I won't hate you," I promised.

"Do you mean it?" she whispered again, far more vulnerable than before, more human than before.

"I do," I said, firm in my belief. The Kai'Sa I read about was a hero. She lived for the sake of a people that hated her, shunned her, for things she couldn't control. She lived while fighting the Void, repelling the incursions into Runeterra so that none would have to endure what she had. "You might not believe me, but you have the potential for so much more. You can _be_ so much more than just a huntress."

She pulled away, curling in on herself. Her arms wrapped around her torso, but I could see them twitching towards me, still hungry. "I… I don't know…"

"But I do. You can escape the Void. You can fight to protect people so no one else has to suffer like you have. You can be a hero."

"... Will there be peaches?" she asked, her voice soft even in the quiet of the cave.

I smiled. "Yes, there will be peaches."

Suddenly, her demeanor took a one-eighty. "Good," she grinned. The world around us shattered like glass and I found myself in the middle of a nameless garden filled with peach trees, a small cottage a little ways off from us. Kai'Sa too had changed. Gone was the filth. Her living armor was pristine, or as pristine as a void-born parasite can get. She was taller now, the curve of her body more mature. Her hair was cut short in a semblance of style. Her face, decorated with violet designs, was fuller, healthier. "I'll hold you to that promise, _Master,_ " she teased.

It took my brain a few seconds to reboot. "You played me," I sputtered. Only now, I realized. The Kai'Sa I saw wasn't a memory, not really; she was the real deal. She had appeared before me at her most despicable to gauge my response.

"Maybe~ I _am_ the Assassin after all," she hummed, "but that doesn't mean you get to back out of it. I lived and died for the people of Valoran. With my last breath, _I killed Malzahar._ "

"Wha- That's not how-"

"Not how the story goes?" she scoffed. "Of course not, you know only a snippet of my past. You know only that I survived the Void and lived while wandering the world, protecting it from incursion. You're forgetting. For a Heroic Spirit to enter the Throne, they must have died."

"I…"

"Assume nothing of us, Master."

I sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry for thinking I could get the measure of all my Champions just because I read about you. Still, will you fight with me?"

She laughed. Her laughter was a mix of joy and worldly suspicion, laced with an undertone of the voidling's predatory hunger. "Do you not find me disgusting?" Bitterness. Hunger. Desire. Loneliness. All of these, she conveyed in a single question.

"I said it then and I'll say it now. You are beautiful, even if you look rather strange." I was earnest in my praise. With her violet eyes framed by ashen black hair, she was quite eye-catching. The markings on her cheeks reminded me a little of whiskers. I was half tempted to rub them, but I had a feeling she wouldn't take that well. She preened. She tried to pass off the compliment with a casual wave, but a dusting of pink across her cheeks betrayed her. Ostracized all her life, she had little experience in such matters. Looking down, I eyed her thighs encircling my chest. Slowly, my gaze roamed up her body until I met her blushing stare. "You have a fantastically soft butt, but please get off me," I teased.

"Eep!" she yelped before launching herself off my chest and four feet into the air. She landed in a feline crouch. "... We'll never speak of this…"

I stood and dusted myself off with a goofy grin. "What? That Kai'Sa, the mighty huntress and nightmare of all things Void has no experience with men? Or that she's so incredibly adorable when she's flustered? Or that the first thing she does when she meets a man is to mount him?" My grin widened by a tooth with each sentence and I sauntered forward until I was staring into her eyes once more.

"Th-That... I did not mount you!" she wailed. A second later, her eyes glazed over for a moment. " **We mounted meat-thing,"** the parasite said matter of factly.

"Wow… does it always speak for you? I thought the two-tone thing was just something you put on to scare the shit out of me."

"Its name is Sekai," she said with a huff.

"Isn't 'sekai' Japanese for 'world?'"

"In Runeterra, it's Ionian. Dad met an Ionian trader and learned a bit over the years. I… back in the Void, I named Sekai so I could remember all the things I wanted to come back to… my dad… trees… peaches… the world... It's… it's also a small play on my name."

I leaned in to give her another hug. "That's the sweetest and most cringeworthy joke I've ever heard. Can terrible puns be sweet?"

"Hey, you try to amuse yourself for ten years." She shoved me away and stalked primly towards a nearby peach tree. She picked one of the ripe fruits and shoved it in her mouth, taking a giant, sloppy bite that tore viciously at the dignified walk she'd tried a moment earlier.

"So… where are we?" I asked as I joined her. I reached up to pick a peach, but my new Champion swatted my hand away.

"Mine!"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine." I placed one hand on her shoulder and used the other to tip her chin up, making eye contact. "Kai'Sa, oh mighty keeper of peaches, may I please have one?" I asked with as much solemness as I could manage.

Her pale complexion really did nothing to hide her blush. "F-Fine, but only because daddy taught me to share," she snapped as she shoved the half-eaten peach into my hand.

Shrugging, I took a bite. It was the sweetest fruit I'd ever tasted and I didn't know if that was because it was an idealized image of Kai'Sa's favorite fruit or because Runeterra just had better food. "Delicious," I said honestly. "Say, why peaches though? I get that you love vegetation of all sorts, seeing how there wasn't much of that in the Void, but why peaches in particular?"

"This garden," she sighed, "it belonged to one of the only people who accepted me. When i first arrived back to the surface, I was hungry and hurt. I went back to the nearest town i could remember and they chased me away. I wandered north until an old couple found me. They were the ones that convinced me to protect people."

"This is their house," I realized.

She nodded. "Yes, they had a small peach orchard. The old man used to be a mage and worked as a potioneer after retiring. He'd sell his potions and peaches to wandering merchants."

"Ah."

"They never complained," she continued, "I drove away traders. No one wanted to do business with a creepy voidling nearby. Still, they smiled at me and let me eat all the peaches I could ever want."

"That's why they're your favorite food?"

"Yeah… I liked them before. My mom did too… But Grandpa Li and Grandma Mo… I can't eat a single peach without remembering them. They taught me my letters and numbers all over again. They showed me how to care for the trees." She smiled; it was a watery thing, a single push away from a broken sob. She sniffled, but her eyes hardened with resolve. "So yes, Robin, I will be your Assassin. Use me to protect, the world and the people. I will be the hunter in the darkness. I will cut away the rot poisoning this world. Those who would prey on the weak, _**may they fear the Void.**_ "

X

Kai'Sa and I stepped out into the atrium of my mindscape together. The rest of my Champions were already seated. Whatever I expected their reactions to be, I was disappointed. Lulu ran up to Kai'Sa. "Ooh you're purple," she squealed. Then, with all the nimbleness of a cat, she leapt onto Kai'Sa's shoulder protrusions and chomped down.

"What? Hey!" Kai'Sa yelled, swinging around to shake off her unwanted rider. "Ow!"

I stared, slack-jawed, but regained my bearings before they could really break out into a catfight. Sighing, I plucked Lulu from her perch. "Lulu, don't do that," I scolded, pinching the tips of her feline ears until she squirmed in discomfort.

"Owwieowwieowwieowwie, stop that!" She twisted until she could reach up and pinch my cheeks in turn. After a moment, we settled down. "She didn't taste purple," I heard her mumble.

"What?" Kai'Sa stood around, looking puzzled at the strange, playful creature that was a yordle.

"Don't think about it," I advised the baffled Assassin. She looked around for support, only to find her new peers all nodding sagely. "One does not try to understand a yordle's antics."

"I… You're all strange," she sniffed before marching to her seat and plopping down in a harumph. Kayle and Irelia smiled indulgently while Wukong gave me a thumbs up. Braum laughed heartily before straightening his mustache.

That is how Kai'Sa, the Daughter of the Void, joined my motley crew.

X

One day, after weeks of pestering about my newfound powers, Crystal got fed up and challenged me to a spar. Surprisingly, her mom agreed, something about needing to know each other's limits to work together. She dragged us, New Wave, the currently unpowered kids, and my own parents, to a forest just outside the city limits. Typically, capes used places like the old trainyard or Boat Graveyard to test powers, but typical capes got found out and conscripted. I still intended to keep a low profile and until Sarah decided Crystal was ready, she would too.

The two of us stood opposite one another, Crystal raring to go and myself trying to hide a yawn. I love the girl to death, but the gap between a standard cape, especially an immature one like her, and a Heroic Spirit was too wide for me to take her seriously. I decided to mess around and debut some of the Includes. "Now, I want a clean fight," Lady Photon said, "I don't want any broken bones so we'll keep this to small love-taps. Understood?"

We both nodded. Our training would become more intense as we grew older, or whenever Amy triggered, but for now, we lacked a Panacea to fix our bumps and scrapes. On her go, Crystal predictably rose into the air, palms shining with iridescent light.

'Huh,' I mused, "I wonder who's stronger, Lux or Purity?'

'Lux/Crownguard,' came the unanimous response. I heard Irelia huff in irritation. 'She may have been a giggly, annoying bimbo, but she was considered one of the greatest mages in Demacia's history for good reason. From what I understand - you should duck,' she interrupted herself.

I shrugged and dodged a photon blast by the skin of my teeth, my legs flowing from one step to another in a well-practiced dance that was as much instinctual as intentional at this point. I spun on my heels, sinking low to my knees and let two more blasts sail over my head. 'Don't mind me. You were saying?'

The Blade Dancer's amused snort rang through my mind. 'I was saying that although this Purity seems comparable, the size and scope of Luxanna's Final Spark spell was on another level. Without extraordinary magic resistance, it was capable of wiping out entire regiments. She was also far more flexible with her light magic, capable of making shields, shackles, bombs, or just outright making herself undetectable. This Purity does seem to have an advantage in flight and reusable skills. Final Spark was something of a last resort for Lux after all.' Her tone turned scolding, 'Now pay attention! Ignoring your sparring partner is rude!'

I sighed, then did my best Matrix impression. Quirking an eyebrow, I stared up at her. "You done yet, Photon Kid?"

I was goading her. She knew it and I knew it. That didn't keep her face from turning a splotchy red. A nine year old is still a nine year old after all. She growled and hurled a larger blast at my head. It was noticeably brighter and I had to shield my eyes before dodging. The adults looked like they were about to step in, Sarah with a scalding lecture already on the tip of her tongue, but I waved her off.

I laughed cheerfully, finally taking a basic combat stance. "You know, I think your lasers might actually be stronger than Sara's one day. Now let's see about that shield," I said. I brought my right hand to my heart. "Include: Lancer!"

There wasn't some bright display of lights or a magic circle when I used Install in the restaurant and there wasn't one now. There was a muted flash when I began practicing with Lulu and Irelia, but I worked that out, no sense in long invocations or showy light shows that disturb the flow of my moves after all. I took a single step and thrust my palm forward. One moment, there was nothing. The next, a staff as thick as Crystal's arm stretched from my hand to impact glancingly against her hasty shield.

Her shield didn't break, but she was knocked off her metaphorical feet and sent spinning through the air. With a quick pivot, I retracted the staff then extended it out again. This time, she managed to avoid the blow by allowing herself to fall. She fired off a slavo of quick, weak blasts to try and disorient me, but I stopped them all by shortening the staff and swatting them aside. For curiosity's sake, I stopped and allowed one of her bolts to impact against my palm.

'Heh, Stone Skin for the win,' I grinned. Inside, I felt Wu share my smile. The skill was drastically weakened seeing how I wasn't in Install. Even so, all she managed was a slight sizzle that warmed my palm. 'Her stronger bolts might hurt,' I told Wukong.

'Yeah, but she'd have to hit us.'

I rolled my eyes and nudged Wukong out of my spiritual driver seat. "Lulu, you're up," I whispered, then raised my voice. "Include: Caster!" In one seamless motion, Wukong's trademark staff faded in favor of the gnarled staff of a mage.

Around us, the adults groaned audibly. "Please don't tell me you think your powers are magic," my dad winced.

Beside him, my mom patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Dear, it's just a staff… that Gandalf would be proud to own… Why did we get stuck with a second Myrddin?"

The adults of New Wave tried not to smirk. They'd had their fair share of headaches when Crystal got her powers and heroes or no, misery loves company. "Now, now, I'm sure Robin intends to use it well," Neil consoled. It would have been more convincing if he didn't have a shit-eating grin on his face.

"I swear, if he pretends to be a wizard, he's off the team," Carol grumbled.

Smirking, I sat on the staff like a witch's broom. It's a pity. Include wasn't a strong enough override of my own existence to get me Pix, but it was also much less taxing. With all the training I'd been doing, my magic circuits were fairly refined and flight using Lulu's staff was, if not instinctual, well within my capabilities. The look on their faces as I kicked off the ground was wholly worth it. I zipped forward and, before Crystal could react, jabbed her in the nose.

"Ow!"

'Lulu, please tell me it's possible to blunt the Glitterlance,' I thought, 'I don't want to punch holes through my friend.' Outwardly I grinned and flew off, a trail of pink and purple sparkles taunting Crystal all the way. "Tag, you're it!"

After that, the "spar" devolved quickly in a downward spiral of aerial acrobatics, slowed time, and the frustrated shrieks of a nine year old girl. Good times, that.

 **Omake: From the Journal of Robin Cardinal**

 _Name: Kayle, the Judicator_

 _Class: Ruler_

 _Affiliation: Heaven, Celestial_

 _Alignment: Lawful/Good_

 _Personal Notes: Kayle is a paragon of justice and truth, the most powerful archangel of Heaven, responsible for passing judgment onto its enemies and those who break the cosmic laws. She will not hesitate to move heaven and earth, literally, to rectify a wrong she deems unforgivable. Such was the reverence and fear people held for her name that in Runeterra, the merest whispers of her disapproval were enough to condemn a kingdom to ruin, its own people rebelling in righteous fervor even before she made a personal appearance. Such events were rare, and all the more notable for their rarity, for a king would have to be so corrupt that Heaven itself reject his existence. She is the closest being to "god" and beyond the ability of any mortal to summon, but has permitted herself to enter this pact with Robin Cardinal because she views the entities as aberrations to the cosmic order, insults to all that her people worked to preserve._

 _Strength: A_

 _Endurance: A_

 _Agility: EX_

 _Mana: A_

 _Luck: A_

 _Noble Phantasm: EX_

 _Noble Phantasm 1: Intervention (EX)_

 _Classification: Barrier/True Miracle_

 _Incantation:_ _Your time has come. Stand firm, and let the heavens witness your valor!_

 _Description:_ _Kayle expends all of her holy magic to create an impenetrable bounded field. While it is often used as a shield of last resort, it is far more than a meager defense. Within this field, Kayle "corrects" Gaia, rewriting space-time, logic, and even the will of the planet to ensure that her ideal perception of righteousness becomes the newly accepted truth of the world. Unlike a Reality Marble, Gaia does not reject this imposition, as though a child being instructed by her elder sister. If a Marble Phantasm makes use of one's connection to Gaia to enact a phenomenon which is "possible somewhere in the world," Intervention makes use of Kayle's connection to Heaven to enact a miracle that is "possible only in Heaven."_

 _Noble Phantasm 2: Uriel (A)_

 _Classification: Anti-Unit/Anti-Army_

 _Incantation: In the deepest night, know that the darkness will not prevail. Take heart. Fight with valor. Yield not a single step, for the Flame of Heaven will light the way!_

 _Description:_ _Uriel was the archangel of fire and one of the greatest heroes of Kayle's people. He was the guardian who protected Runeterra from the Dark, purged the wicked in holy flame, and guided the first men in the creation of culture and society. He was both heavenly wrath and divine wisdom, a terror to Heaven's enemies and beacon of hope to the weak. She inherited this flaming sword from him and named it in his honor. The flames are sacred and mirror the convictions of her heart. They can burn both the material and spiritual to non-existence._

 _Skill 1: Magic Resistance (A+)_

 _Description: Even above most Sabers, Rulers are renowned for their Magic Resistance, Kayle especially so. As an archangel, she is immune to magic in general and demonic or "dark" energies in particular. All attacks that utilize prana as a medium are ineffective against her._

 _Skill 2: God's Resolution (NA)_

 _Description: The class skill of Rulers, it typically grants the Ruler Command Seals to be used to ensure the Holy Grail War commences as scheduled. As there is no War, this skill is irrelevant and Kayle possesses no seals._

 _Skill 3: True Name Discernment (A)_

 _Description: Typically, this class skill of Rulers is limited to discerning the identities of Servants, but Kayle is far above most Rulers. Even before allowing herself to be summoned, she was considered the paragon of truth, the judge. She cannot be lied to, nor can someone hide from her in any way. In reverse, she is also incapable of deceit, merely speaking the truth as she sees it without regard for the consequences._

 _Skill 4: Divinity (A)_

 _Description: She is the strongest archangel of her generation, the one who holds Uriel's torch. Short of the true gods, it is not possible to possess any more divinity and still be locked in a corporeal form._

 _Skill 5: Holy Magic (B++)_

 _Description: Kayle was the strongest of Heaven, but she always preferred the sword and was not the greatest mage. That honor went to her sister, Morgana. Although, being "not as good as Morgana" is hardly an insult when it comes to magic. This skill represents her affinity for holy magic, protection, healing, and manipulation of holy fire._

 _Skill 6: Revelation (D)_

 _Description: As an archangel, Revelation, the ability to hear the "voice of heaven" to receive guidance, should come instinctively. One might even argue that she IS the voice most people hear. Unfortunately, Kayle is not infallible and by her own admission, her greatest flaw is her selfishness. She is not selfish in the sense that she desires material goods or works for her own benefit, but she is often prone to viewing her own perspective as the correct one despite her intrinsic ability to comprehend the motivations of others. This rigidity, what Morgana would call "being a self-righteous bitch," makes her unlikely to heed the divine guidance she is entitled to._

 **Author's Note**

 **Yes, Kai'Sa is Assassin. Yes, I took some liberties with her life, including her death. Hope you guys like her character. I imagine her as something between ruthless predator, amoral killer, and innocent girl. On one end, she grew up with no one to tell her that killing is wrong. Her entire adolescence can be summed up in "killing is necessary." On the other end, she also has no experience with social contact and has a very naive, innocent air about her. Things like peaches, or Sekai, have a lot of sentimental value to her in a way they could only to a little girl.**

 **Champions**

 **Ruler: Kayle, the Judicator**

 **Shielder: Braum, the Heart of the Freljord**

 **Saber: Xan Irelia, the Blade Dancer**

 **Archer:**

 **Lancer: Wukong, the Monkey King**

 **Rider:**

 **Caster: Lulu, the Fae Enchantress**

 **Assassin: Kai'Sa, the Daughter of the Void**

 **Berserker:**

 **If you would like to support my continued works, please find me on pat reon dot com slash Sorre.**


	6. Reborn 1-6

**Preface**

 **Happy Monday everyone, Sorre here. So if anyone's ever watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the Lincoln Memorial, you'll know what I'm saying when I say I feel like I just survived a volcano. Turns out, millions of dollars in fireworks going off for twenty minutes nonstop less than three hundred meters away on a barge at the Reflecting Pool throws up a lot of ash into the air. That ash has to go somewhere so… Anyway, out of curiosity, if you could have a single Champion act as your personal Heroic Spirit, who would it be and why?**

 **If you feel inclined, please visit my pat reon page at pat reon dot com slash sorre.**

 **Reborn 1.6**

After what can, under the loosest definition, be called a spar, my dad drove us back home. My parents kept throwing furtive glances my way. Honestly, I didn't blame them. People had one power, one concept they had some control over. The newly christened New Wave, they only rebranded from the Brockton Bay Brigade after the capture of Marquis last year, generally had a wealth of Blasters and light-based Shakers. Lightstar, Fleur, Flashbang, Manpower, Lady Photon, Brandish, and now Laserdream all fell under that broad categorization.

I proved today that I wasn't so limited. It may have been a loose spar meant more for us children to get used to our powers, but I acted as both Lancer and Caster. I told them that I had nine different power-sets, but I guess it didn't really sink in until today.

"Robin, sweetie?" my mom called.

"Hmm?"

"You weren't kidding about the nine different spirits inside you, were you?"

"Nope," I popped the word, "It's actually really nice. I'm never going to lack friends and I can always get a second opinion if I want it. Or a third. Or fourth…"

"I… see… And… how much influence can they have on you?" 'Are you being Mastered by your own powers?' went unsaid. I would hardly be the last person to get screwed over in the power lottery. Canary. Noelle. Leet. Oni Lee. No, I'd be just one of many on a very crowded boat.

I shrugged and met her eyes through the rear-view mirror. "They have as much control over my body as I let them. I told you, I can Include a spirit, which gives me some of their powers or I can use Install, which gives me all of them. In exchange, I take on traits of their personality when I Install. Caster, Lulu, is a bit on the playful side and she didn't consider Crystal to be much of a challenge so we turned it into a game of tag."

"She?" my dad coughed. "You're not… I mean… we would support you…"

"Yeah, they all have genders. Each of them are individual people with their own identities, dad," I chuckled. "I'm not transgender or gender-fluid or anything else so you can stop trying to map out that conversation because it doesn't need to happen. Shielder is male and so is Lancer."

"And they're… okay with being stuck inside a seven-year-old boy?" mom asked.

To be fair, it was a good question. Most people would get frustrated very quickly, but Heroic Spirits weren't mortal humans and I wasn't a seven-year-old, not really. "They're fine. I sometimes let Lulu out to play with everyone," I admitted.

My mom had a eureka moment. "Eric… the blue hair… you!" she accused.

I laughed sheepishly. "Heh… yeah, that was Lulu."

"You had your powers long before Crystal, long before the robbery, didn't you?" my dad pointed out.

'Oh… shit…' I spoke without thinking and only realized too late that I shoved my foot down my throat. 'Guys… help?'

'You're on your own,' Wukong shrugged. 'I never understood why you wanted to hide your powers anyway.'

'Loose lips sink ships, Robin,' Kayle said, 'though admittedly I don't know anything about sailing. I've been told that's the case the last time I descended to Bilgewater. Filthy place, that, though there were some gems caught in the mud.'

I sighed. 'You guys are so helpful…'

'Would you like to try a daifuku, Kayle? It is a popular sweet in Ionia,' Irelia offered her fellow Champion, utterly unconcerned with my plight.

'My friend, speak truly, and you'll have no reason to watch your words,' Braum advised.

'You still have parents to connect to, Robin,' Kai'Sa said gently. 'Don't let them slip away…'

Another sigh left my lips but I acquiesced. Braum and Kai'Sa were correct. "Can I tell you two something?" I spoke aloud.

"Honey, we're your parents. You can tell us anything."

"She's right, son. I never expected my son to be a parahuman, but that doesn't mean we're not family," my dad said calmly.

"Well, the truth is that… I've been hearing their voices for a long time. It started with Lulu when I was really young and they've been teaching me about their powers. I didn't want to say anything because I was afraid you'd treat me like I was insane." That… was partially true. There were only so many conclusions a reasonable adult could come to if their kid claimed to hear voices. Schizophrenia topped that list by a fair margin. "I waited for a time when I could 'trigger' so I wouldn't be dragged into this cape mess as a child. When Crystal was held hostage… I… I couldn't do nothing…"

"So you gave up anonymity to save your friend," my mom smiled. "Honey, that was brave of you and I know Crystal won't forget it. I doubt Sarah will either. If you want a home in New Wave, you'll get it."

"I know, but I'm not sure that I do…"

"You are _not_ going to be an independent hero," dad said sternly. "I've seen those statistics and they're not good."

"Says the accountant," I muttered.

"Yes, _says the accountant._ " My dad turned into our driveway. "Look, son, I know you're strong. If what we saw today is anything to go by, you might just be Eidolon-lite. But that doesn't mean we won't worry about you. We're your parents."

"I know, dad. Really, I'm not that keen on being an indie either. I just want some time to think about my options before being a public cape."

"I understand. Just… no more secrets. Okay?"

"Yeah… no more secrets…"

We walked into our den and mom brought out some coffee and snacks. She sat by my dad, leaning against him in a sideways hug. "So, no more secrets then," she grinned conspiratorially with my father. "What exactly can this Caster do? And while you're at it, the rest of your spirits."

I groaned aloud. I really should have seen that coming. "Mom~"

"You promised, honey. And we'd feel much more comfortable about your choices, whatever they may be in the future, if we knew you could take care of yourself."

"Shattering someone's ribcage wasn't enough?" I muttered.

"Give him some slack, Em," my dad said. "He's a child. You can't blame him for wanting to keep some things from his parents." I didn't even care that I was patronized. Again. Really, if "childhood rebellion" is what it took to avoid some of the implications behind my Champions' Noble Phantasms, I'd take it. He fixed me with a stern glare. "Your mother is right though, Robin. We do need _something_. Give us a rundown of Lancer and Caster to start. Show us that we can trust you to be out there."

"Okay… Lancer is as I told everyone. He's a Brute with Mover qualities and a weapon that acts as a Breaker. Caster… She is… possibly the hardest to classify. There are some things I'm not going to tell you because Caster is… way stronger than the cutesy hat would make you think. You just want to know I can hold my own, right?"

"But-"

"Emily."

"Mom, dad, this is actually for your own good. If Caster's full power, if _any_ of my Champions' full power, was to be made public, people would actively hunt you to get to me. I'm just going to tell you the bare bones. "Caster's bolts that I used to slow Crystal today, they're called Glitterlances. They don't slow momentum, they slow the flow of time. I can also make them hit with the impact force of longbows or tennis balls. Caster, at her best, can also alter the terrain, summon a familiar, make force fields, and transfigure people."

I glanced at their gaping jaws. "Yeah," I said dryly, "this is the _vanilla version_. Even with just this, Caster has the potential to fit every single power classification in some way except Thinker and Tinker. Now do you see? I don't tell people everything for a good reason."

My dad, Jason, recovered first. "We… we understand. But, son, go back to the transfiguring... "

"Yeah, that's the part that gets a little dangerous. It's temporary."

'Wanna bet?' I could practically hear Lulu pouting.

'You should never suggest to a fae that she can't do something,' Irelia said wryly, 'even indirectly. They tend to take it as a challenge and it rarely ends well for the squishy mortal.'

'I know,' I sighed, 'I'm not doubting you, Lulu, but I can't tell them that we can make the change permanent. Besides, how much of my prana would I have to use to make the Polymorph permanent?'

'More than you have right now,' Lulu admitted.

'See?' I turned to my dad. "The change is temporary, but I can turn anyone into anything disregarding size, shape, biology, etc. For example, I could turn someone into a rabbit for an hour. I'd love to see someone try to handle a gun without opposable thumbs."

"I could see that working well…" he admitted. "Could we…"

"See? Are you volunteering? I can guarantee that you'll retain your intelligence and health."

He nodded. "Jason!" my mom screamed in shock. "Think about this!"

"I have, Em. We need to trust him at some point. Besides, would you rather be surprised later? Imagine what might happen if something went wrong with the transformation and it was a stranger. At least here, we can see what to expect."

I sighed. "Mom, it's fine. I understand your concerns, but I know I can do this."

'Robin,' Lulu said, 'you're going to have to Install for this. Polymorph is easily the most taxing Noble Phantasm I have.'

I looked at my dad. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "Okay then. Install: Caster!" Lulu's hat swirled and fluttered down onto my head. Her staff seemed to build itself from motes of light, a quirk of her entrance she insisted on. "For style," she said. The fluttering crimson and violet robes, pointed shoes, and of course, Pix settled on me. Pix, the little devil, blew my parents a kiss and laid on his side in the classic "paint me like one of your French girls" pose.

I sighed and picked up Pix. "Mom, dad, meet Pix, the familiar I was talking about. Pix is always by my side when I Install. He can summon barriers and also fires bolts when I do."

"Your familiar… is a… fairy?" my mom questioned. Honestly, yeah, I'd have that expression if I were in her shoes too. It's not every day your seven-year-old son says he can talk to fairies.

I put Pix on my hat and squared my shoulders. "Okay, here goes." I pointed imperiously at my dad with my staff and called, "Polymorph!"

A violet bolt of light, almost indistinguishable from a Glitterlance, struck his chest. Slowly at first, the quickly, he changed. He shrank, grew fur, and within fifteen seconds, my mom and I were staring down at a purple squirrel huddled in his shirt.

"Holy shit," my mom breathed.

"Swear," I said with a grin. She shot me a glare. Then, her expression turned to concern as I slumped forward. The energy cost to using Polymorph even once was really no joke. Slowly, I took a deep breath and met my mother's eyes. "I'm fine, mom. It's just really hard on me to do things like this." Chittering caught our attention downward. "Sorry, dad, let me undo that." A wave of my staff and he began to grow again.

Realizing what would happen, my dad let out an undignified squeak and dove for his empty clothes. He grew back, just in time for his shirt to stretch uncomfortably over his waist. His leg was stuck halfway through his sleeve.

"Gah! Robin!" he screamed as he hobbled back into the master bedroom.

I looked over at my mother who had broken down in a fit of giggles. "I'm going to go pretend I have retrograde amnesia… If you'll excuse me, I think I need to train my reserves so I can use Polymorph more reliably…"

X

That night, for once in a long time, I stood outside my mindscape. My room had evolved over the years. Once, Hot Wheels cars and Transformers action figures dotted the room. A giant chest of Lego blocks occupied one corner of the room. Now that I could show off my intelligence a bit more overtly, the toys were shoved under the bed, untouched for years. Bookshelves replaced them, filled with works on capes and anything related to them. This past year, I started to look for anything that could augment my knowledge of canon, from in-world scholarly research on cape psychology and biology to the sociocultural impacts they have had on society in the past thirty years.

Did I understand everything? No, of course not. I was a chef in my past life, not exactly the most studious individual. Thankfully, I wasn't alone in here. Kayle's mentor, Uriel, was the angel who granted humanity knowledge of the arts, education, and culture. While she wasn't exactly the wisest of her kind, Kayle did learn more than swordsmanship from her former master. Besides, she was certainly old enough…

'You thought something rude, didn't you, _master,_ ' Kayle was smiling. Don't ask me how I knew that without actually diving into my mindscape. I just had a feeling. It wasn't a good feeling.

'Who? Me? Rude? I am the paragon of chivalry.' I don't know what it said about me that even Lulu snorted back laughter.

I shook my head and focused on the order of the night: Projection. Without guidance in magecraft, it was one of the few arts I was willing to try on my own. Structural Grasp, Reinforcement, Alteration, and Projection, the four basics of a novice scrub. Before me, I had a picture of the Goblet of Fire from Harry Potter pulled up on my laptop. Sue me, I'm a nerd. I figured it would help to project a relatively simple looking wooden cup then move up from there.

I was surprised at how easily it came to me. Reinforcement taught me to sense my own prana and regulate it throughout my body and within objects I was touching. Structural Grasp extended that reach to things within my sight so the next logical progression was to remove the tangible medium. Instead of infusing existing material with my power to reinforce or analyze, I was creating the material from my own prana. After several tries, I had the cup in hand, as close in likeness to the Goblet used in the movies as I could make it.

Curious, I ran it through a Structural Grasp and soon understood why Projection was described as a useless art. In theory, the ability to make anything, even temporarily, would be extremely useful. In reality, Ether did not play nice with the rest of the world and I could feel my prana slipping away, dissipating into nothing even as I watched. Barely ten seconds later, it was gone. Gradient Air, it was also sometimes called. I understood now. Projections were… _empty._ Lacking in substance, even if prana gave it form for a brief moment. It looked like wood, but it wasn't truly wood. Beyond the fact that Gaia loathed its very existence, it wasn't as structurally sound because I couldn't imagine the connections formed by cellulose found in plant cells. I could see the individual grains and it certainly felt like wood, but all it amounted to was a pretty paint job.

'Robin?'

'Yes, bestie?' I could feel Lulu squirm in contentment. She really was starved for attention, that one…

'Why are you learning Projection? I could do better.' _Aren't I enough?_ went unsaid but I heard it loud and clear.

'I want to be able to summon you all in person,' I admitted. 'What dad said, about you being content to be stuck in my mind. It bothers me a bit, you know? I may not be as annoying as a real seven-year-old, but it's gotta suck being cooped up like that. I wanted to be able to summon at least one of you, even if only for a few hours at a time.'

'We appreciate it, but that kind of power takes even the best magi decades to master,' Irelia pointed out. 'We knew what we were signing up for so don't worry so much.'

'Still gonna try,' I replied stubbornly. 'Do you have any idea how cool it would be to call out Lulu and have her turn everything into furry woodland creatures?'

'You can do that anyway with Install,' Kai'Sa said dryly.

'I can, but that's another thing. It's not possible for me to get more magic circuits, but it should be possible for me to refine them with use. I need to be able to use Install properly or there's no point in having super powerful Champions.'

'That will come with time,' Kayle soothed. 'The human body, especially a child's has some hard limits. You'll come into your own soon enough. I promise.'

With the promise of an angel, I spent my nights exhausting my prana reserves.

X

Christmas shopping was something of an occasion in its own right. As seven-year-olds, we weren't allowed to shop for ourselves, but that just meant that Sarah and my mom were acting as our chaperones while us kids tried to find gifts within the price range of a seven-year-old's allowance without alerting the soon-to-be recipient. Really, that meant a lot of farmers' markets, flea markets, and pawn shops.

'Come off it, Robin,' Kai'Sa chided me. 'This place is amazing!' ' **So many colors and scents. Meat-friend shows us good things.'** 'I mean, have you tried the melons? They're so juicy!'

'Must you call me "meat-thing?" Can't you just call me Robin like everyone else, Sekai? And of course I've tried melons before, Kai'Sa. It's _my_ body,' I huffed mentally. I decided that my Assassin deserved a turn at the wheel so to speak and we were doing a weird "half-seat" in my mind. I had to pry her away from the fruit stand at the farmers' market but no one died so I'm calling that a win. The idea of food that doesn't fight back as you eat it is still a novelty for Sekai...

"So, Robin," Amy brought me back to the present, "do you know what you're going to get everyone for Christmas?"

"I don't know," I replied honestly. "I don't exactly have a ton of money. I mean, I was just planning on helping our moms make food."

"Ooh, can you make that jamalaya again?"

"Jambalaya," I corrected automatically. We were sitting at an outdoor cafe on the border of the Boardwalk and the Lord's Street Market. It was close enough to the touristy part of town to be relatively gang-free and far enough away from that part of town to avoid the gawking morons that would bother us non-stop for Sarah's autograph. Don't get me wrong, I understand the allure of a strong female hero who is also a responsible mom and the strongest voice for cape accountability, but the idol worship thing gets old really quickly. I could see Crystal and Eric roll their eyes whenever a fan came up to their mom. To them, she wasn't Lady Photon, the leader of a national social movement, she was just mom. I didn't really blame them; they got enough of that crap in school. The worst was when fans stared at my mother as though wondering why or how such a plain "normie" could be friends with Sarah Pelham.

' **We could find them, meat-friend. We are good at finding prey…'** Sekai whispered insidiously. What did it say about me that I was halfway tempted to take her up on that?

"Say, Aunt Sarah," Vicky began, "Is Uncle Mike going to be here for Christmas this time?"

Sarah smiled wryly. "Not this year, sweetie. He's going to be joining Jess' family in Boston."

"Aww, he always brings us the best presents," Eric whined.

Personally, I was relieved. In all seven years of my life, I'd met Fleur and Lightstar, Jess and Michael as we knew them, just twice. Seeing how Michael was much younger than his sisters, he had no children of his own and no true reason to associate with me and mine. It wasn't that there was something wrong with him or Jess, just… how do you talk to someone who's been slated to die? My Champions and I talked about this, about possibly preventing her death and the subsequent destruction of New Wave as a national movement. Our conclusion: We'd do so if the opportunity presented itself, but couldn't do much besides keep an eye out and warn her discreetly. In the end, we just knew that she would be killed sometime after the Boston Games in 2007 and in her own home. I didn't exactly live with her and it wasn't as though I could stalk her twenty-four seven. I didn't even know where she lived.

After the little pit stop at the cafe, we visited a few more shops and drove back to our home in the suburbs. Vicky and Amy saw some matching bracelets in a store and decided that they'd give each other their presents early. The two wore silly grins as they stared at the silver bangles. Crystal wouldn't tell anyone what she bought but I assumed it was a hat and muffler for her little brother. Me? I just asked for a collection of fruits and chocolates, things I could remember and bring up in my mindscape for my Champions to enjoy.

X

Christmas was… nice. I still considered myself a Louisiana boy and the idea of snow was still quite new to me. The gifts, children, and all around excitement was a bit much, though I did enjoy my dad getting drunk enough to sing "Eye of the Tiger" at the top of his lungs. Mom's not going to let him live it down.

No, what really took my breath away wasn't the dinner or even the presents, it was my Champions. Archer and Berserker chose to reveal themselves that night as I entered my mindscape. I believed myself to be inured to surprises from my Champions. Seeing an archangel lounging around in your mindscape tends to give you that impression. Nope, I was wrong. Somehow, once again, they managed to leave me speechless.

Tryndamere sat on Berserker's throne, his _massive_ greatsword propped up against its armrest. You wouldn't know it, but the man is a good eight feet tall. His sword… is bigger than that. The game definitely didn't do him justice. He wore an impressive fur cloak and horned helm with a dazzling emerald encrusted in his brow. I didn't have much time to admire the feral regalia before my attention was dragged to the woman on his lap. Ashe, for it could be no one else, was draped seductively over her husband, the two locked in a fierce kiss that was as much an act of primal lust as it was an attempt to dominate the other. Her already skimpy dress was left a creased mess from his wandering hands and her normally silken silver locks were disheveled with abandon.

I stared. Then, robotically, my head tweaked towards my other Champions. Kayle and Irelia looked oddly serene, unruffled despite being fully aware of this public display of affection. Braum chuckled heartily as though he had dealt with much worse. Given that he served Ashe and Tryndamere in life, he very well may have. Wukong let out a low whistle and shot me a saucy wink. The furry bastard was enjoying my discomfort. Lulu looked confused, her childlike mentality protecting her from the awkwardness of the situation. Kai'Sa… she had her eyes covered, face a beet red. I could see her peeking through the space between her fingers though.

When Tryndamere's hand started to roam towards her barely covered breasts, I drew the line. I coughed loudly for attention. I didn't get it. I felt an unsettling twitch develop. I knew it'd come back to bite me, but… "Lulu, my adorable friend," I said sweetly.

"Yeah, Robin? What are they doing anyway? Kayle wouldn't tell me," she pouted. Pix rubbed his brow, staving off a headache. Yeah, me too, buddy…

I felt a shark-like grin split my face. "They're playing a game where they pretend to eat each other. You win when one person gives up." Pix began to slam his head against the back of her throne. 'Sorry, Pix… your sanity is a worthy sacrifice…'

Her mouth formed an "o" before she jumped onto her feet. "Can I join?"

"Yeah, sure. It'd be really funny if Tryndamere turned into something Ashe could actually eat, right? But not something that would break apart or anything," I said hurriedly. I didn't know if Wicked Lulu's cupcakes were possible for her, but I didn't want to find out. "Turn Tryndamere into a chicken," I said. I felt the condemning looks of my more mature Champions, but I just didn't care.

"Okay!" She turned towards the amorous couple and cried, "Cuteify!" A purple bolt of light struck Tryndamere.

At first, he didn't notice, busy as he was tonguing Ashe. Then, his eyes widened as he felt his helmet suddenly feel too big for him. The change came rapidly after that. First, he grew feathers and shrank. Ashe yelped in surprise, jumping off the throne and sending the Trynda-chicken sailing into the air.

Trynda-chicken squawked indignantly before flapping and finally gaining some traction with the air. He settled on top of his throne before his natural Magic Resistance as a Heroic Spirit overcame what little mana Lulu used in the spell and turned him back. The sudden shift in size unbalanced the man and he tumbled forward until his head collided with his seat, leaving his butt in the air for all to see.

Next to him, Ashe coughed out a few feathers and glowered at me in disgust and shock.

"HAHAHAHAHA," Braum's throaty laughter rang throughout the hall.

"Holy shit, Robin," Wukong choked out in between wheezing laughter. "You know they're going to kill you, right?"

Lulu looked confused but one glance at the Frost Archer's furious expression made her drop her staff and point at me accusingly. "Traitor," I muttered, "So… I guess now's not the time for a cock joke?"

Next to the Archer's throne, her bow dissolved in a flurry of snowflakes before reforming in her hand. Tryndamere picked himself up and put on his helmet. I gulped and had just enough time to wonder what it said about his culture that he'd reach for his helmet before something to cover his junk. Then, the arrows started flying and a berserk roar shook my mindscape.

"I'M SORRY~~~"

""DIE!""

X

"You guys could have helped," I pouted as I nursed several puncture wounds, frostbite, and an uncomfortable bruise on my arm.

"You brought it on yourself," Kayle said sagely. "While their… amorous affairs would have been better left in private, lovemaking as a couple is hardly wrong. Just be grateful they were merciful and take the opportunity to practice Divine Blessing on yourself."

"... you all suck…"

"Heh, that was still hialrio-" Wukong was abruptly cut off by a frozen arrow that sprouted from between his legs, not even a centimeter off his testicles. "Did I say hilarious? I meant a mean, mean prank. Bad, Robin," he squeaked.

Ashe smirked, satisfied that she'd made her point. She stared pointedly at me. "Now, _master,_ what have we learned?"

"That cockblocking Freljordian royalty is painful business…" I moaned.

"And…?"

"That you don't miss. Ever…"

She nodded proudly. "And…?"

"What else was I supposed to learn? That you have no sense of public decency?" I cried indignantly. I dodged a light swipe from Tryndamere. I head the air _sizzle_ from a "light swipe." Beast.

"Freljord's standards are much more lax than your own, brat," he grunted.

"No, I was just saying 'and' to see what you'd come up with," his wife winked at me.

"You two are the worst," I grumbled before sitting down in my own throne. "Why couldn't Shyvana have been my Berserker or something?"

"Just be grateful I'm lucid most of the time," the Barbarian King grunted.

'Speaking of, why isn't he insane?' I flipped through my guidebook. "Hmm… Oh, that's why… You're going to be so hard to use," I mumbled.

"Don't worry, my husband's a big softie on the inside," Ashe giggled.

I looked at Tryndamere. He growled at me. "Sure… Any conditions for calling on either of you? For that matter, why are you here now?"

"Its winter," Ashe laughed, "This is my season. I decided that I should introduce myself since things will get more exciting soon. My husband likely thought the same." A grunt. "As for what it takes to call on us. Personally, I don't care. I know that I will not be useful at melee range, but if you need a sniper, you know who to call." Tryndamere stood and loomed above me, the giant of a man leaned forward until his face was mere inches from mine.

"Umm… are two going to play the eating game now?" Lulu asked, ever the picture of innocence. Any attempt at intimidation evaporated like Brand's sweat.

""NO!"" Tryndamere and I flinched back like we were burned before yelling at the midget. Seeing her start to tear up, I picked her up and carried her back to her throne.

"Sorry, Lulu," I whispered as I hugged her close. "There is no eating game. I wanted to play a prank on Tryndamere and Ashe."

"Oh… You could have just asked, meanie."

I rubbed her ears, amused that she called me a meanie because I didn't include her in the prank, not because she thought I was mean to Tryndamere. "I will next time." I caught the couple's murderous glare. "Next time, let's mess with Wukong instead…"

"Oi!"

"Anyway," I hastily spoke over him, "before we devolve into random bickering again, what will I need to do before I can call on you, Tryndamere?"

"Nothing," his voice rumbled through me, "just be sure that whatever you're fighting, you want it dead. I do not show mercy."

I nodded. It was as I expected. One does not call out Berserker and expect to leave things alive. Or in one piece… "Understood. So, you're not going to impose some more hellish training on me?"

The shark-like grins on my two newest Champions did nothing to encourage me.

 **Omake: From the Journal of Robin Cardinal**

 _Name: Kai'Sa, the Daughter of the Void_

 _Class: Assassin_

 _Affiliation: The Void_

 _Alignment: Chaotic/Good_

 _Personal Notes: When Malzahar opened a rift to the Void, Kai'Sa was ten years old. She fell into the rift and in a moment of desperation, killed a voidling. Rather than die completely, the voidling's core fused with her, becoming a second skin. For nearly a decade, she survived and adapted to the Void until she finally made her way back. She named her parasite Sekai, after an Ionian word for "world." Her father, Kassadin, taught her the word from one of his travels. She decided on the name as a reminder of her father, hope of what she wished to return to, and a play on her own name._

 _Although she dedicated her life to protecting the surface from the creatures of the Void, the very people she saved condemned her, seeing her as no better than the creatures she hunted, always just one bad day from going on a murderous rampage. Despite this, Kai'Sa persevered, ultimately giving her life in exchange for Malzahar's and ending the threat of the Void for her generation._

 _Strength: C/B*_

 _Endurance: C/B*_

 _Agility: C/A*_

 _Mana: E_

 _Luck: D_

 _Noble Phantasm: B_

 _Noble Phantasm 1: Living Void Carapace (B)_

 _Classification: Anti-Unit/Self_

 _Incantation: NA_

 _Description: This Noble Phantasm is literally a part of Kai'Sa. It needs no activation phrase or prana investment for her to receive the passive benefits. Although her physical parameters are mediocre thanks to her lack of formal training, her voidling parasite elevates both Strength and Endurance by one rank and Agility by two ranks. The suit also further improves precision and stealth capabilities when a target has been marked by both Kai'Sa and the parasite as prey. If prana is invested, the parasite grants her the ability to tap into the raw magic of the Void, fire off rapidly regenerating spines, dash at incredible speeds, and increasingly adapt to the movements of her opponents._

 _Skill 1: Presence Concealment (B)_

 _Description: Kai'Sa didn't have some magical tool or spell to help her become invisible. For her, Presence Concealment is exactly as the name implies, the art of hiding one's presence from prey. That her rank in Presence Concealment is so respectable despite any magical augments speaks to her skill, especially when considering that her primary prey thrived in the shadows. While not a "proper" Assassin, she is more than capable of sneaking up on her opponents. After all, what is mortal man compared to a creature of the Void?_

 _Skill 2: Instinct (B)_

 _Description: Eye of the Mind, True is honed through training and discipline, something that was never gained in her life. Eye of the Mind, False is a natural skill innate to the user. As an adolescent girl, she cannot possess either. However, her Instinct, the ability to choose the "best personal choice within combat," is excellent due to her time spent in the Void. One might say that these instincts are not her own, but her parasite's._

 _Skill 3: Planning (A)_

 _Description: Planning is different from Tactics in that it is the ability to derive a course of action suited for victory in one-on-one scenarios. Typically, Heroic Spirits have used this skill for assassinations, but it is befitting of a huntress of Kai'Sa's calibur as well._

 _Skill 4: Innocent Monster (A)_

 _Description: Similar to Lulu, Kai'Sa sought nothing more than to help people. She fought all her life to protect those who would never thank her and even though many would say she died for an undeserving people, she died with a smile on her face, her revenge satisfied and the Void contained._

 **Author's Note**

 **Yes, I did cave and make Archer and Berserker everyone's favorite couple. It is now the end of 2001, which means time is running out for Robin. I might just decide to do a time skip soon.**

 **Champions**

 **Ruler: Kayle, the Judicator**

 **Shielder: Braum, the Heart of the Freljord**

 **Saber: Xan Irelia, the Blade Dancer**

 **Archer: Ashe, the Frost Archer**

 **Lancer: Wukong, the Monkey King**

 **Rider:**

 **Caster: Lulu, the Fae Enchantress**

 **Assassin: Kai'Sa, the Daughter of the Void**

 **Berserker: Tryndamere, the Barbarian King**

 **If you would like to support my continued works, please find me on pat reon dot com slash Sorre.**


	7. Reborn 1-7

**Preface**

 **I was writing the next chapter of On My Wings, but this just wouldn't sit still. Quo Vadis? just wouldn't die so here it is. I might just take a few weeks writing out the entire damn arc just to get it over with.**

 **Shoutout to Noshadowone. S/He informed me that I use Triumph as the leader of the Wards in chapter 4. This is not true since Triumph hasn't received his vial yet. I went back and changed it to Dauntless. His history is largely blank and he's a fair bit older than Triumph so it fits the timeline better. Thanks for reminding me of that.**

 **Reborn 1.7**

X Year Eight, April X

I panted in exhaustion, my poor eight-year-old body unable to handle the rigor of the training. I started like a stallion out of the gate, but I was on my last leg now and the little hellion dogging my steps knew it. I was banned from Reinforcement to keep me from "cheating." Braum said something about a strong foundation that would only increase the impact of my magecraft. I knew that he was right of course, but that didn't mean I had to like it. I ducked, narrowly dodging a beam of energy fired from an all too eager Laserdream. The air sizzled with its passing. She'd gotten much better with her power, especially flight. She was now more than capable of keeping up with me, at least while I remained a base human. The plus side of training without magecraft was that Crystal could train by my side without being completely upstaged by Heroic Spirits she couldn't possibly match. Coincidentally, the downside was having a laser-throwing preteen take pot shots at me while I tried to work on my cardio. She could be… enthusiastic.

"Stop," I called between wheezing breaths. "Let me… catch… my breath…"

The light in her palms faded, though she looked rather reluctant. "Aww, but I was having fun," she pouted. People shooting blasts of burning energy shouldn't look that cute, dammit!

"That was awesome!" Eric cried, his hair bouncing up and down. It was getting a tad long, though he'd only cut it if Sarah promised he could dye the roots blue at the same time. "You were like 'Woosh!' and dodging everything and being all flowy! Can you teach me?"

"Pfft, I hit him a lot too, you know," Crystal said. Had she been on the ground, she'd have stamped her feet petulantly.

"Yeah, but we all know he'd smoke you if he stopped holding back," Eric boasted.

'Funny how children can brag about their heroes' accomplishments as though they were their own,' I heard Irelia's musical voice in my mind.

'I don't know about hero…'

'Children are easily impressed, Robin. You are near his age and stronger than most. That is enough,' Braum said matter of factly. 'Young Eric's enthusiasm is to be cherished, but I think you should step in before the two start pulling hairs.'

I looked and sure enough, Crystal had gone from a mild pout to near volcanic in the course of a minute. "Those two," I said, unable to suppress a much put-upon sigh. "Enough. Eric, I'm not a normal cape so stop comparing me to Crystal." I walked closer to face Crystal, and stood in between the arguing siblings. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I smiled, "Thank you for training with me today, Crystal. Your flight's gotten much better."

Her face turned a cherry red and she hurried to glance away. "T-Thanks… C-Can you help me make my blasts stronger?"

I chuckled and waved the rest of our little cohort over. "It's not a matter of stronger blasters, Crystal. Right now, your blasts are plenty powerful. Instead, you should work on improving your accuracy and control. If you accidentally miss or don't hold back enough, you might end up seriously hurting someone."

Her mother nodded as she approached. "Robin's right, honey. Your blasts are stronger than mine were when I first started out. The first thing to learn is how much you need to restrain yourself."

Crystal grumbled, not entirely happy, but acquiesced.

Eric, still in a perpetual state of hyperactivity, grinned. "While she does that, can I learn kung fu from Robin? Can I?"

His excitement was contagious and I found myself grinning despite my exhaustion. "Sure, but only if your parents say it's okay." I allowed myself to collapse in a boneless heap onto the sand of an abandoned stretch of beach. It was coarse and kind of slimy with some mysterious substance, no doubt why it was so seldom visited. Northeastern America wasn't exactly known for scenic beaches. Bad for tourists, but certainly a boon for young heroes in the making who need a training ground away from prying eyes.

"I don't see why not," Neil said with a smile. "Some self defense would do anyone good and Robin looks like he really knows what he's doing. All of you could do with some training actually. The younger you start, the better you'll be. But first, Robin, you took a few heavy hits from Crystal at the end. Are you alright?"

I grinned, it was time to show off another little trick of mine. I channeled a bit of my prana, slowly infusing my body with the warmth of Kayle's holy magic. It may be the simplest of heavenly spells, but Divine Blessing was still a potent healing tool I could use even in my base state. Its ability to bypass the natural magic resistance of living organisms allowed me to Reinforce to higher degrees of perfection while fixing the minute flaws resulting from the training exercise. I wouldn't have Lung's regeneration or anything, but I could do at least this much. I began to glow a reddish gold until my bruises visibly diminished. Soon, the slight burns and scrapes were gone, replaced by clear skin. I looked myself over. "Yeah, I think I'll be alright, thanks."

They stared, jaws hitting the floor. "Y-You didn't tell us you could do that, honey," my mom said.

My grin only grew wider. "No, and I'm glad I didn't. Those looks never get old."

"So… you can… heal yourself? That's cool, but what's the big deal?" Vicky asked.

"Healers are rare, Victoria," Carol answered with motherly patience. "For whatever reason, powers seem almost universally geared towards conflict of some kind. Powers that heal are extremely rare. Robin, can you heal others?"

I nodded. "Yup, positive."

"We need to test it, but if you're so sure, why didn't you say something before?"

I shrugged. "I like to surprise people. Honestly, I told you before, I have nine whole different power sets and it'd take an entire book to explain what I can and can't do. If you have to ask, assume I can do it. Really, the only power classification I'm not sure I can fill is Tinker. 'Maybe that too if Rider is Corki or something.'

"And what power set does this come from?" my dad took a guess. "Caster?"

"You'd think so, but no. This comes from Ruler," I said with a smile.

My dad hummed in thought, before his more pragmatic side kicked in. He did work for Medhall after all. "Have you thought about becoming a parahuman doctor?"

"Isn't there a law about parahumans in business?" I asked.

Carol nodded, impressed that an eight-year-old knew of it at all. "Yes, NEPEA-5, which states that parahumans are not permitted to use their powers to obtain monopolies within industries or otherwise coordinate with other parahumans to do similar. It was used to break up a group known as the Elite. It doesn't apply to you unless you can heal everyone in the entire city at once and grant them perfect bodies that won't ever get sick. Even then, it's hard to imagine anyone complaining about such a thing except for selfish reasons."

"Then, can I heal people for money? I mean, no offense, dad, but more spending money can't be a bad thing."

My dad scratched his chin. "I'm not opposed to it, but that means coming out as an independent or a New Wave affiliate. Didn't you say you wanted to remain under the radar?" he reminded me.

My shoulders slumped forward. "Oh yeah, dammit."

"Language," my mom corrected instinctively.

"Yeah, sorry."

"I'm glad you think your anonymity is better than money, son. It's a relief for me at any rate," dad said. Seeing my dejected look, he added, "Tell you what, if and when you decide to become a hero, you join New Wave. With their backing, I'll let you work as a healer or something." He turned to Sarah. "As long as that's alright with you of course."

She smiled. "Of course. Crystal's been bothering me almost nonstop about how she'll debut with Robin. I think I even saw drawings of matching uniforms somewhere," she teased.

"MOM!" Crystal shrieked, her face turning tomato red and drawing a laugh from all of us.

I joined them, then wrapped Vicky, Amy, and Eric in a giant hug. "Somehow, it wouldn't surprise me to have us all get powers. It'll happen. Watch," I said with a mysterious smile.

"Still," Carol cut in, "I don't mean to rain on everybody's parade, but Robin would need to have his powers thoroughly tested for employment to be a viable option. This means Protectorate involvement. They'll definitely try to have him showcase the rest of his powers, not that I'm not curious myself."

I shrugged. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. If they really want to push me, they can go find their own healer. If that means I need to work black market, I'm willing to do it."

"Why do you hate the Protectorate?" Amy asked.

"I don't. I just know enough not to trust them completely," I said. "To me, they're just another group that holds territory, no matter how benign they are."

"That's awfully jaded for a child, kid," Neil said, arms folded in a fatherly frown.

"Tell me I'm wrong, Neil." I looked him in the eyes and saw a grown man well over seven feet tall look away.

"Just… keep a open mind, champ."

I nodded, satisfied that I'd crushed their misperceptions of me for the moment. It'll crop back up again. No matter how mature my behavior, the idea of a world-savvy eight-year-old was still alien. I let go of my three friends and strolled to my parents. "Let's go home, dad, mom. I want to check on the marinade I've been working on."

Surprised by the sudden shift, my parents didn't protest.

X Year Eight, July X

Months passed and I continued to grow stronger. The biggest improvement wasn't to my body, but to the quality of my magic circuits. As a child, I simply lacked the ability to gain real muscle mass. Really, I was mainly working on my stamina and instinctualizing the martial arts taught by Irelia and Wukong. Other than keeping my physical fitness where it was at, I could hardly get any better. Magecraft however, there, I could see some real improvement. Divine Blessing came easier. I could Reinforce myself for longer and to better margins of success. I could use Structural Grasp and end up with more information in less time. I could Project objects that wouldn't shatter in a stiff breeze. Slowly but surely, despite having only the basic of basic spells, I was being refined into a true magus.

"So… what does this say again?" I asked my Ruler. Tonight, like many nights, I was in my mindscape, except instead of playing with Lulu and Wukong or enjoying tea with Irelia, I was learning a new language.

Seraphic Script, the language of Runeterra's angels, something magi of Emiya's world would happily gut an infant for. Here, I had the opportunity to learn it directly from the source and I fully intended to make use of it.

"That is the character for 'Oath,' Robin. In this context, it means 'to promise' or 'to pledge.' It is an important rune to remember because it shows up often in contracts. You know them as Geis or Contract Magic."

"That makes sense." I straightened in my seat. "Question: How is a Geis formed using Seraphic different from one made with Elder Futhark or other runic scripts?I mean, is there any difference at all? Presumably, the runes I know about are also from a divine entity, Odin."

She smiled, her expression one of perfect serenity. Even after a full year with Kayle, the angel's beauty still often caught me off guard. I shook off her natural allure to focus on her answer. "Hmm, the runes you know about, Norse, I believe, do have an analog in Runeterra. They're Frejordian in my homeworld. You might want to ask Ashe for those, if she's willing to teach you at all. She's still rather cross about making her kiss a chicken," she said with a delightful giggle.

"That woman can hold a grudge like nobody's business. Even Tryndamere forgave me…" I grumbled.

Her eyes crinkled into a teasing smile. "You humans have a saying about Hell and scorned women, I believe. Now, let's get back on track. One of the basic principles of magecraft is that it loses effectiveness the more it's used. The World, whether that World be Gaia or Runeterra, corrects its own destiny so to speak. While Runeterra seemed to have more lax laws than what you are familiar with, it was true there as well." Her eyes grew hard with fiery judgment for an instant. "Even prisons meant to be eternal, such as the one that held that abomination Brand, eroded with time."

"So… Futhark, or Freljordian, whatever, erodes over time but Seraphic doesn't?"

"Indeed. Or rather, less so. Holy magic in general has the unique property of bypassing the magic resistance of living things. When a human casts holy magic, he would find that its effects are more pervasive and long-lasting. When an angel such as myself casts the same spell, its effects can be extended to centuries and eons. Remember, my most powerful Noble Phantasm allows me to permanently correct the World as I see fit. While such extremes are beyond you, holy magic still represents a tremendous advantage for mortal mages."

"I understand. But Geis are supposed to last entire lifetimes though. Unless we're talking about beings that can expect to live for hundreds if not thousands of years, both are fine, right? It's not as though a Geis cast by Futhark runes will erode away so quickly as to make a difference, no?"

"True. It is not an important distinction considering human lifetimes, but if you were to, say, make an enchanted item for generations, it would be valuable. Another rule is that Seraphic Script is much more reliant on intent and faith, making it even more volatile than the more commonly used languages. Because it is holy and bears a fragment of my divinity, it must be used with good intentions. You must truly believe that any change you make to the world is made in its best interest."

I nodded. That made sense. "So no making a contract with Kaiser to get him to kill himself for having racist thoughts?"

"Be serious," she admonished, "but yes actually, that's possible so long as you genuinely believe you were doing the world a favor. You have to ask yourself if merely thinking of being a bigot is deserving of suicide. If you are not wholly convinced you are doing good, you won't be able to use my native tongue."

"I think I can convince myself," I said dryly.

"You should also know, because you are not an angel, you will have to bind yourself as well. A contract works both ways after all. For example, if you were to bind Kaiser to that ridiculous standard, you'd have to bind yourself to suicide if you, say, thought lecherously about a woman, or something of equal difficulty. I dare say you would kill yourself upon meeting me next," she said with a ghost of a smile.

"Oh? Someone's confident," I retorted to hide my growing fluster.

"Of course," she laughed, the sound like a heavenly chorus, "I am an angel after all. I am an existence above your comprehension."

I winced. "It hurts that there's so much truth in that…"

"Perhaps, but you have the opportunity to reach higher than most, but only if you study. Back to work, Robin. By the time I am done with you, you'll be able to do much more than cast a Geis. I'll have you _dreaming_ in Seraphic before long," she declared and my lessons continued.

X Year Eight, August X

Sirens wailed and fear clenched at our hearts. Icy tendrils grasped our spines and refused to let go. I cursed myself for still being too weak, unable to comfort the people that mattered most to me. "It's happening again," Victoria whispered as she huddled into my side. "Robin, it's happening again…" We were in school, just past lunch, and I could see teachers giving her and Amy pitying looks. I gathered Amy to my other side and pulled them into a fierce hug.

Everyone knew what that sound meant. It meant my best friends' parents would go off to war. It meant they might not come back. It meant a night of sobbing, snuggles, and enough ice cream to maybe drown out our deepest fears. The only saving grace was that it wasn't Brockton Bay's time yet. _Endbringer alert,_ the siren screamed out, _Location: International._

I wracked my brain, my memory of Endbringer attacks prior to 2011 spotty at best. It didn't hurt that one struck every three months or so. All I knew was that the Simurgh hadn't appeared yet; no, that angel wannabe would be showing herself on New Year's Eve, 2002. As it turns out, the end of this year. I quickly apologized for us and excused ourselves. Schools tend to frown upon kids ditching in the middle of class, but no one was dumb enough to stop us. A ways off, I could see Crystal dragging her brother out of class to join us. Hopefully, they would get the chance to say goodbye.

Bogotá, Colombia. Behemoth. I breathed a sigh of relief. My future knowledge, that no one in New Wave would die today, was the only thing keeping me calm. I stood to the side as the children hugged their parents goodbye, fearing that it might be the last.

'Behemoth will die for this,' I swore for what felt like the millionth time.

'One way or another,' Irelia nodded resolutely. 'Those children have shed enough tears.'

'Please increase my training.'

'No.' I was surprised to hear Tryndamere cut in. 'A warrior knows when enough is enough. You have the body of a brat. You physically can't take anything more than what we're giving you now.'

'He's right,' Kayle cut off my objection before I could think them, her voice serene yet layered with menacing authority. 'You will get stronger. You will protect them. And one day, they will fight by your side. On that day, I swear to you, you will be my instrument and I will be your sword. None less than the Caretaker will be able to spare them from our judgment. But today is not that day, Robin. Calm yourself, the road is long but you will arrive at your destination before long."

'I know… it's just so much harder now that I'm here… now that I love them all…'

'No one thinks a glacier is moving, but it is. Surely, it will reach the sea in time," Braum said sagely. 'Wait, my master, and we will become an impregnable fortress.'

I stewed in frustrated silence until the parents pushed their children away gently. I stalked forward, meeting each of their eyes. "Come back," I said, "Don't you dare leave them alone."

X

It's become something of a tradition in our circle, a tradition born of emotional vulnerability children their age should never have to experience. Every few months, Behemoth or Leviathan would make an appearance. Every few months, the New Wave children would gather at my place, huddled in enough blankets to cure hypothermic patients. We would hug each other and I would offer what distractions I could until they cried themselves to sleep.

"Robin… will they be okay?" Crystal asked for the seventeenth time that night, searching my expression for any sign of deceit.

I smiled, bitter at the circumstance, but reassuring. "Yes, they'll come back. Neil, Sarah, Mark, Carol, Mike, and Jess. They'll all be back. Just wait and see." Her only response was to huddle closer. 'Lulu,' I called.

'Yes, Robin?'

'Please put them to sleep. When they awake, maybe they'll be here to greet them.' I watched the children nod off, before whispering under my breath: "Include: Caster." Lulu's staff materialized behind me, away from their prying eyes, and a rain of violet dust poured gently over them, invisible in the darkness. "Sleep, my friends. It'll all be over soon…"

X

"Robin!" I heard my dad's harsh whisper and my eyes fluttered open. I looked at him to shoo him away, but the seriousness in his eyes stopped me cold. "Come, as quietly as you can."

I nodded. "Install: Assassin," I whispered. An armor of violet carapace covered me and I suppressed the desire to start scratching. Sekai _itched_.

' **Sorry, meat-friend,'** she whispered in my mind.

'It's fine. Let's go.' I didn't know what dad wanted, but he was insistent that I not wake the children.

With the grace of a true Voidborn, I loosed myself from the desperate grip of my friends. "I'll be back," I promised as I wedged a large pillow to take my place. Making less noise than the footsteps of a cat, I vanished.

"What is it, dad?" I asked as I appeared next to him in the passenger car. My mom was standing to the side, ready to say goodbye.

"Holy shi-!" dad screamed before my mom cuffed the back of his head, cutting off the swear.

"Quiet!" she hissed. "Do you want them to wake up?" She looked me over, a mix of fear and awe flashing in her eyes. "Honey… that's… something…"

I nodded. "Assassin," was my only explanation. "Let's go. You can explain on the way."

My dad nodded. "Emily, watch the children," he said gently. We were just turning out of the driveway when Lady Photon landed near us.

"Sarah," I greeted.

To her credit, she recovered from Assassin's strangeness quickly. "Robin. Is it true what you said? Can you heal others?"

"Positive."

She wasted no more words. She reached directly into the car and scooped me out. "We're going ahead, Jason. Fleur can't wait." That's how I knew she was fresh off combat: She called Jess _Fleur_. Not even waiting for an answer, she rushed off.

I dispelled Assassin and settled into her arms, conserving as much of my prana as I could. "Explain, what's going on?"

"Fleur's okay, she took some lava to her spine though. She was triaged and brought back here while the more urgent cases were treated on site," she said with a hint of bitterness. "Everyone else is okay, but they're not sure if she'll ever walk again. Manpower remembered you saying you could heal."

Thoughts raced through my mind a mile a minute. 'Did this happen in canon? Is this why she was assassinated without struggle? She had to have had alarms of some kind. Her powers are good for multiple targets. Was she still recovering from an injury?' Externally, I nodded, doing my best to mimic the cool professionalism of my Archer. "I'll do what I can."

I didn't know her well, but Jess and Mike, Fleur and Lightstar, were family now, albeit extended. On my way to the hospital, thoughts of anonymity didn't cross my mind for even a second.

X

We didn't land in the hospital. Lady Photon didn't even bother, flying straight through the emergency room window Manpower opened when he saw his wife approaching. The emergency ward had been expanded, cannibalizing the nearby wards for the urgency of an Endbringer attack. All around, I could see beds littered with those who had been on site. To the side, several of Brockton Bay's heroes and villains nursed varying degrees of injury. The beds, still insufficient, were reserved for more critical injuries.

"The hospital's been accepting people from other parts of the country," Sarah explained in full Lady Photon mode. "Civilians, emergency response personnel, and capes are being distributed to whichever hospital has room."

I nodded. There would be no more anonymity after this. I would be outing myself as a powerful cape, an exceedingly rare one at that.

"Lady Photon!" Armsmaster's harsh voice cut through our brief discussion. "What are you doing bringing a child here?"

I rolled my eyes and decided I wouldn't be putting up with him tonight. "Shut it, halbeard," I snapped. Admittedly, at less than five feet tall and in dragon-themed pajamas, I didn't exactly cut an impressive figure. The shock value of being degraded by a child managed to catch his attention though. "You don't have the luxury of denying my help." I glowered, allowing my magic to suffuse the entire ward. 'This is what I've been training for,' I told myself. New Wave gathered protectively around me. I allowed my prana to fill the air before drawing in on myself. With authority and charisma learned from people infinitely more accomplished than myself, I spoke. "Hear me! I invoke the Endbringer's Truce. Any and all who are seen to take advantage of what I show you here be warned: **I will make you beg for the Lamb's gift,"** I hissed the last as Kayle's holy light began to take me over. " **Install: Ruler!"**

Kayle's Install lacked the subtlety of the rest. "I will not hide the light of heaven," she said. She made more than good on that promise. Divine light filled the room as armor of resplendent gold fit snugly on my body. A giant sword, larger than any save Tryndamere's drove itself into the ground behind me, the threat obvious. A shining helmet fell over my head even as massive wings of snow white feathers fluttered behind.

Whispers of "Angel" and "Holy shit" echoed around the ward. As I took my first step. Kayle's Divinity, now mine, forced them all to remain still. "Powers are bullshit," may be a common idiom, but no one could mistake this as "just a cape." In the silence and awe, my footsteps echoed as I made my way to Fleur. Even I found myself stuck in the reverie of Kayle's presence. We were one. For this one moment, I was the archangel and the archangel was me.

'Robin, your reserves are not infinite,' she cautioned, drawing me out of my distractions.

I stood by Fleur's bed and looked her over. Her uniform was gone above her waist, cut off to expose the gaping wound. Only the fact that she was laid face down preserved her modesty. The wound itself was cauterized by the very thing that dealt the damage, a section of her uniform melted into the skin even as skin and muscle peeld from bone. I curled my nose in distaste, the smell of cooked flesh reminding me disturbingly of pork.

'Such is war,' Irelia muttered sadly.

I nodded, I knew she had seen the likes of this and much worse. Singed had made sure of that. I reached out one gauntlet-clad hand to touch Fleur's exposed spinal column. She shuddered involuntarily and I thanked the powers that be that she was unconscious. 'Kayle,' I thought, 'please give me the words to speak. I don't think I can do this alone.'

Slowly, thoughts of what once was began to fill my mind, drowning out the gruesome sight. For perhaps the first time ever, seraph and mortal spoke as one in a tongue exclusive to the heavenly realms. " **Fear not. Fret not. Despair not. May the Light of Heaven fill you, the Grace of Heaven uphold you, the Mercy of Heaven grant you healing. All the good of this world, I claim as mine. All the injustice of this world, my sword will strike down. In all that I am, I reject your harm. I reject your hurt. I reject your injury. Rejoice in my blessing and be well!"**

It started as a single fleck of golden light that fluttered from me to the unconscious woman. One by one, the light multiplied, seeking out every point of injury on her body and providing me a map more intimate than any. I grit my teeth, staving away the exhaustion. Dust, soot, and debris flaked away as every wound closed, leaving unblemished flesh.

When I was done, I turned to the nearest doctor. "Bring me your injured."

The rest of the night passed in a flurry of activity that I hardly remember. I remember healing villains and heroes alike, some personable and some outright antagonistic. I knew, deep inside, that I would be killing a few of them myself. Still, for the sake of keeping a Truce I invoked with my own lips, Kayle stayed her hand. For that alone, I was infinitely grateful. The last thing I remember is flying away with the rest of New Wave, Fleur in Lightstar's arms, before ducking into an alley. Dad loaded me into his car and drove me home.

 **Omake: From the Journal of Robin Cardinal**

 _Name: Ashe, the Frost Archer, Queen of the Freljord_

 _Class: Archer_

 _Affiliation: Tribe Avarosa, Freljord_

 _Alignment: Lawful Good_

 _Personal Notes: As a child, Ashe was a naive, idealistic girl who dreamed of unifying the vast frozen wastes of the Freljord. No matter the obstacle, she is a woman who never gave up on that dream and lived to make it a reality. Her own mother warned her that it was a fool's errand. When her mother died in a raid, she quelled the burning desire for revenge in favor of forgiveness. Her tribe rebelled and plotted to assassinate her, mistaking her desire for peace for weakness, but at the last moment, Ashe won Avarosa's favor and became the hope of her people. Through diplomacy, charisma, and a sincere heart, she won over countless tribes and earned the respect of powerful allies. Anivia, Braum, Tryndamere, Udyr, and more all followed her for the fulfillment of her vision._

 _In the end, only two factions remained: the Avarosa and the Winter's Claw. Even that division did not last. Ashe and Sejuani put aside their differences when Lissandra made her bid for Freljord's crown, finally slaying Lissandra once and for all and pushing back the Watchers with the help of Freljord's guardian deities: Ornn, Volibear, and Anivia._

 _Her story is one of resolve and hope, inner strength and courage that transcends the battlefield. Like Avarosa before her, the name of Ashe, the Frost Archer was cemented in Freljord's history, as permanent as True Ice itself. The kingdom she molded with Tryndamere's help lasted but six generations falling prey to corruption and clan politics, but her legend is told to this day as proof of what an idealistic girl on a fool's errand can accomplish._

 _Strength: D_

 _Endurance: C_

 _Agility: B_

 _Mana: C_

 _Luck: A_

 _Noble Phantasm: B_

 _Noble Phantasm 1: Avarosa's True Ice Bow (B)_

 _Classification: Anti-Unit/Anti-Army_

 _Incantation: NA_

 _Description: This bow is an enchanted construct made from True Ice. Unbreakable by conventional means, it bonded with Ashe in her lowest moment. Ashe can harness the moisture in the air to form arrows of ice. She also has limited control over the temperature around her and the temperature of the arrows themselves. When the arrows strike, they transfer not just the kinetic impact of the blow, but the cold into the target. Using this method, Ashe was able to slow targets or outright freeze and shatter limbs with volleys approaching absolute zero._

 _Noble Phantasm 2: Enchanted Crystal Arrow (B)_

 _Classification: Anti-Unit/Anti-Fortress_

 _Incantation: For peace. For hope. For a land united. I who bore the weight of a nation, the crown of ages long past, stand as your judge, jury, and willing executioner. By my sovereign rule, take flight!_

 _Description: Upon completing the incantation, Ashe fires a massive arrow. The arrow is unaffected by external forces and flies straight until something is struck. Upon impact, it detonates into a localized blizzard, encasing everything in the area in a miniature iceberg until matter itself crumbles like ashes in the breeze. Ashe is capable of controlling the size of this projectile to some extent._

 _Noble Phantasm 3: Spirit of Avarosa (D)_

 _Classification: Anti-Terrain_

 _Incantation: Avarosa, grant me sight..._

 _Description: Ashe sends out a prana construct modeled after the hawk that saved her life. It acts as her eyes, giving her a bird's eye view of the entire battlefield. She is capable of aiming through obstacles like buildings by relying on the hawk's eyes._

 _Skill 1: Independent Action (A)_

 _Description: As a queen, Ashe does not bow. Had she been summoned in the Holy Grail War, she would have had little need for her Master's prana thanks to this skill. However, given Robin's unique circumstances, the skill means very little._

 _Skill 2: Magic Resistance (B)_

 _Description: Ashe has a respectable Magic Resistance due to her connection to True Ice and her class. True Ice is a substance shaped by only the most ancient magics of Freljord, most of which can be derived from its guardian deities. By bonding with the bow, she inherited a little bit of that innate resistance._

 _Skill 3: Protection from Arrows (A)_

 _Description: Ashe is perhaps the greatest archer in Runeterra's history. She is so good that she is able to predict the path of not only her own projectiles, but those of her enemies. Challenging a master at her own game seldom ends well and the case is no different here._

 _Skill 4: Pioneer of the Stars (EX)_

 _Description: Whereas Irelia fended off the Noxian invasion to preserve her country, Ashe built her country from the frozen nothingness of the Freljord. She is the Unifier, the First Queen, and the Banisher of the Watchers. The rise of Freljord as a major power in Runeterra shook the geopolitical status quo to its core. History was changed, that not even the guardian deities of the Freljord were unaffected. All this, from the idealistic musings of a little girl..._

 _Skill 5: Imperial Privilege (A)_

 _Description: This skill represents Ashe's Charisma, Leadership, Diplomacy, and more. All of the presence of will and character that brought the Freljord together is embodied in this singular skill. She can, quite literally, sell ice to an Eskimo. By the prerogative of her royal status, she can learn skills that she never had in life, making her the perfect jack of all trades and master of… whatever she want to learn._

 _Skill 6: Marksmanship (A)_

 _Description: As one of, if not the greatest, archers in history, Ashe does not miss. It might even be appropriate to say that she is incapable of missing. If she can see something, it's in kill range. Given the Spirit of Avarosa, her range is absolutely monstrous._

 **Author's Note**

 **Once again, Robin's desire to remain away from the cape scene is ripped apart. He isn't omnipotent. He doesn't get to change the world without letting it change him in turn.**

 **When Kayle references the Caretaker, it is not God. It is Bard. As far as I know, Runeterra's angels don't serve a central Creator. It would be more appropriate to say that they are instruments of Order. Although, "not an almighty deity" isn't to say that threat shouldn't terrify you.**

 **Kayle… She is, unashamedly, the most powerful existence outside of Scion (and maybe including him). Robin can't use her full power, but even just Divine Blessing is ridiculous. I'm being very consistent with the lore of League of Legends and the greater angel mythos believe it or not. In League, I would say only Bard is stronger than her. You could argue that Aatrox, as a god of war, is stronger, but unlike Kayle, he lost to mortal heroes. How the Celestial Aspects like Zoe, Leona, Pantheon, and Taric fare against her is anyone's guess, but I don't know that any are conclusively stronger. Comparable, yes. Stronger? Not sure.**

 **In Hebrew lore, where angels come from for you uncultured plebeians, they are not babies playing harps in front of the gates of heaven. They are** _ **warriors**_ **. They are described as being able to stand with the world between their feet when their feet are shoulder-width apart. Think about that. Every prophet, from Samuel, Elijah, and Gideon to John (who wrote Revelations for us Christians) are** _ **terrified**_ **when they first meet an angel because their presence usually means God's about to go to town on someone (Egypt anyone?). The phrase "going biblical" has to come from somewhere and even if League's angels are not the servants of the Creator, they are still servants of Order, and represent one of the primal forces of the universe. Again, Kayle is OP for good reason.**

 **As for the omake: Ashe is the first "global ultimate" champion in League of Legends and I wanted to do that justice, hence the Spirit of Avarosa Noble Phantasm. In lore, a hawk showed her the way to Avarosa's tomb and her bow. Now, I'm going to get two kinds of complaints from people: "Ashe is too weak," or "Ashe has Imperial Privilege! Broken!" Note that Ashe's physical stats are fairly low (with Strength even lower than Kai'Sa's) because she is an archer. If she's in front, something is very wrong or you're top tier cardboard. They are also what they are in part to offset the sheer versatility of her skills.**

 **As for Ashe's skills, yeah, they're pretty powerful. Imperial Privilege is kind of a cheat skill in the Nasu-verse and I initially just wanted to give her Charisma or Leadership and be done with it. When combined with Pioneer of the Stars, it basically lets her accomplish whatever she sets her mind to, no matter how ridiculous. Why did I give it to her? Because a similar Spirit also has it in canon at the same rank: Cleopatra. Cleopatra was born a princess. She ruled a dying kingdom and prevented its collapse for a generation. She was called wise and wealthy. And yet, Ashe did so much more while starting from so much less. She was betrayed by her tribe, slated to die, then inspired her people to new heights. She earned the loyalty of countless allies, including a demigoddess (Anivia). She then, in my take of her completed bio, pushed back the Watchers with Sejuani, bringing peace to the Freljord and changing the landscape of Runeterra for generations. If Cleopatra can have Imperial Privilege, I think Ashe more than earned the skill.**

 **Next chapter, the obligatory PHO interlude!**

 **Champions**

 **Ruler: Kayle, the Judicator**

 **Shielder: Braum, the Heart of the Freljord**

 **Saber: Xan Irelia, the Blade Dancer**

 **Archer: Ashe, the Frost Archer**

 **Lancer: Wukong, the Monkey King**

 **Rider: Tee hee, you suckers still waiting for this one :D**

 **Caster: Lulu, the Fae Enchantress**

 **Assassin: Kai'Sa, the Daughter of the Void**

 **Berserker: Tryndamere, the Barbarian King**

 **If you would like to support my continued works, please find me on pat reon dot com slash Sorre.**


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